Mortality Factors, Environmental Contaminants, and Parasites of White-Tailed Sea Eagles from Greenland

Abstract

Twelve white-tailed sea eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla groenlandicus) found dead between 1997 and 2000 in Greenland were examined to investigate the health status, including the causes of death and the burden of organochlorine contaminants and potentially toxic heavy metals. The determined causes of death were unspecific trauma (n = 6), lead poisoning (n = 2) with 36 and 26 ppm lead in the liver tissue, infectious diseases (n = 1), injuries sustained during intraspecific conflict (n = 1), and gunshot (n = 1). One lead poisoned eagle had a single lead shot pellet in its gizzard. No diagnosis could be made in one case because of decomposition of the carcass. Four of the investigated eagles were injured with lead shot or bullet fragments; one of the birds was killed with about 69 lead shots. Levels of organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, mercury, and cadmium in organs were moderate. The parasite fauna consisted of one coccidian and three helminth species. The acanthocephalas Profiliocollis botulus and Corynosoma suduche as well as the nematode Stegophorus stellaepolaris are all new records for the white-tailed sea eagle.

Acute Poisoning of Red Kites (Milvus Milvus) in France: Data From the Sagir Network

“…Wendell et al (2002) identified toxicosis as the primary cause of death in about 2% of the birds, which is fairly consistent with data published by the SAGIR network regarding game species (Lamarque et al, 1999). In White-tailed Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus alvicilla) in Greenland, one case of lead poisoning was identified among 12 reported deaths (Krone et al, 2004). Considering the limited number of birds included in this series, the proportion of poisoning cases (8%) may not be significant.…”

Assessment of lead exposure in Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) from spent ammunition in central Spain

“…The white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and the threatened Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) are species that are affected by lead toxicity (Hernández 1995;Krone et al 2004;Helander et al 2009). Numerous authors have presented lead risk to raptors in Spain, including predators and scavengers (Mateo et al 2001;Perez-Lopez et al 2008;Hernández and Margalida 2009;Mateo 2009).…”

Spatial, seasonal and individual variation in the diet of White‐tailed Eagles Haliaeetus albicilla assessed using stable isotope ratios

“…We tried to minimize this source of bias by using tissues of birds (1) that died of several different causes of death (Krone et al . , , ) and (2) were in good nutritional condition, i.e. these individuals died quickly and were in all probability not restricted in terms of foraging or capturing prey.…”

“…These birds died from a variety of natural and anthropogenic causes (for details regarding the causes of mortality see Krone et al . , , ). Liver and muscle tissue reflect the isotopic composition of resources incorporated over a few days to 2 weeks and from 2 weeks to 1 month, respectively (Martínez del Rio et al .…”