Biological and Societal Dimensions of Lead Poisoning in Birds in the USA

Friend, Milton; Franson, J. Christian; Anderson, William L.

doi:10.4080/ilsa.2009.0104

Cited by 26 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Beyond waterfowl, other species are The independent variable of interest is italicised a Year/province, site type, age and body mass were removed from the final models because they were not important for the goodness of fit b Simple contrasts-reference level: D. bicolor (the coefficients reflect comparison with D. bicolor) susceptible to poisoning from spent lead shot, including those in predator-prey systems (Friend et al 2009). In Europe and North America at least 17 and 9 raptor species, respectively, have been poisoned by eating prey contaminated with lead bullets or ammunition (Mateo 2009;Tranel and Kimmel 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Historically, lead poisoning in waterfowl has been associated with the absorption of damaging levels of lead into body tissues from ingested spent shot pellets (Friend et al 2009). Lead exposure has long been proven to cause physiological, neurological, immunological and behavioral problems affecting waterfowl fitness and survival (Bates et al 1968;Rocke and Samuel 1991;Flint and Grand 1997;Eisler 2000;Franson and Pain 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lead exposure affects health indices in free-ranging ducks in Argentina

et al. 2015

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Numerous experiments under controlled conditions and extensive investigation of waterfowl die-offs have demonstrated that exposure to lead from spent gunshot is highly detrimental to the health of waterfowl. However, few studies have focused on examining the more subtle sub-lethal effects of lead toxicity on ducks in non-experimental settings. In our study, the health of ducks exposed to varying amounts of lead under natural conditions was assessed by correlating individual lead exposure with relevant indices of health. Based on hunter-killed wild ducks in Argentina, we measured spleen mass, body condition, examined bone marrow smears, and determined Ca and P in bone tissue. In free-ranging live-trapped ducks we determined basic hematology and aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity. Using multivariate analyses, we found that, when controlling for the potential confounding effect of site type, year, duck species, body mass and age, lead levels in the liver were negatively associated with body condition and spleen mass. Spleen mass was also lower in ducks with higher lead levels in their bones. In live ducks, high blood lead levels were associated with low packed cell volume and red cell morphologic abnormalities. These findings suggest that, despite the lack of recorded lead-induced mortality in the region, lead exposure results in less conspicuous but still significant impacts on the health of ducks, which could have serious implications for their conservation. Moreover, this evidence further supports the need for urgently banning lead shot in the region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lead exposure affects health indices in free-ranging ducks in Argentina

et al. 2015

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“…Politic decisions take time to be put into practice, thus it is very important to start now to implement regulations to the use of lead bullets. Though other countries already have laws that ban lead bullets, this has yet to be instigated in South-America (Friend et al, 2009;Mateo, 2009). Banning lead bullets does not seem to be problematic; indeed, it would protect both humans and wildlife consuming game meat (Lambertucci et al, 2010), and would consequently help maintain large regions of high conservation value.…”

Section: Conservation and Management Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are different sources of lead in the environment, but hunting is currently an important source of this metal for birds. Poisoning by ingestion of lead objects is common in wild birds, being waterfowl and raptors the most affected groups (Fisher et al, 2006;Guillemain et al, 2007;Friend et al, 2009). Raptors can face severe conservation problems due to lead ingestion since lead bullets can be both ingested from carcasses of hunted individ-uals, as well as from live individuals which did not die after receiving a shot (Fisher et al, 2006;Pain et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Widening the problem of lead poisoning to a South-American top scavenger: Lead concentrations in feathers of wild Andean condors

Lambertucci

Donázar

Huertas

et al. 2011

Biological Conservation

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Lead poisoning is not a new threat for wild birds, but it is now playing an important role in shaping raptor populations. Studies have been focused mainly on Europe, North-America, and Japan, but little is known about the situation in South-America. Lead is a serious threat for wildlife, especially for long-lived species. Nevertheless, no information is available for wild Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) populations. This species, which lives throughout the Andes Mountains, is endangered mainly in the north though it is having problems throughout its distribution. We evaluated lead exposure in the Andean condor by a nondestructive method using feathers. We determined lead concentration from 152 feathers, collected in 15 communal roosts distributed throughout almost all condor's range in Patagonia (ca. 1500 km north-south). We also looked for the origin of this lead through the analysis of lead isotope composition of feathers and ammunition. We present here the first reference data on lead concentration for a raptor population from Argentina. Lead concentrations were generally low, however, some individuals had concentrations several times above the overall mean (up to 21 lg/g). Our results suggest that lead might come from a mix of two types of ammunition sources, one used for big game and another for hare hunting. Andean condors are at the top of the food chain, thus all the other medium-to-large sized scavengers and predators from this area can be also exposed to this threat. We highlight the need to change hunting policies in Argentina, and in other South-American countries, including the banning of lead ammunitions to protect carnivores consuming hunted animals.

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“…Lead toxicosis is a well‐known source of anthropogenic mortality for bald eagles (Hunt et al 2006, Stauber et al 2010, Pagel et al 2012, Kelly et al 2014, Warner et al 2014). Historically, lead toxicosis in bald eagles was a direct result of the ingestion of lead shot from dead or wounded waterfowl, and was a major factor leading to the ban of lead shot for waterfowl hunting in 1991 (Kendall et al 1996, Friend et al 2009). Recently, researchers have linked lead toxicosis in bald eagles to ingested lead fragments embedded in tissues or offal from lost or discarded upland and large game animals (Hunt et al 2006, Pagel et al 2012, Kelly et al 2014, Warner et al 2014).…”

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confidence: 99%

Sources of Mortality in Bald Eagles in Michigan, 1986–2017

et al. 2020

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As bald eagle populations recover, defining major sources of mortality provides managers important information to develop management plans and mitigation efforts. We obtained data from necropsies on 1,490 dead bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) collected in Michigan, USA, conducted from 1986 to 2017 to determine causes of death (COD). Trauma and poisoning were the most common primary COD categories, followed by disease. Within trauma and poisoning, vehicular trauma (n = 532) and lead poisoning (n = 176) were the leading COD subcategories, respectively. Females comprised a greater number of carcasses for most COD diagnoses. The proportion of trauma and poisoning CODs significantly increased in the last few years of the study in comparison to a select few years at the beginning. Trauma CODs were greater in autumn months during whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) breeding and hunting seasons and in February, when aquatic foraging is unavailable and eagles are likely forced to scavenge along roadsides. Poisoning CODs were greatest in late winter and early spring months, when deer carcasses containing lead ammunition, which are preserved by the cold weather, also become a supplemental food source. The major infectious disease CODs, West Nile virus and botulism (Clostridium botulinum type E), were more prevalent during summer months. We recommend moving road‐killed carcasses, especially white‐tailed deer, from the main thoroughfare to the back of the right‐of‐way, and the transition from lead ammunition and fishing tackle to non‐toxic alternatives to decrease these main anthropogenic sources of mortality for bald eagles, and other scavenger species. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.

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Biological and Societal Dimensions of Lead Poisoning in Birds in the USA

Cited by 26 publications

References 48 publications

Lead exposure affects health indices in free-ranging ducks in Argentina

Lead exposure affects health indices in free-ranging ducks in Argentina

Widening the problem of lead poisoning to a South-American top scavenger: Lead concentrations in feathers of wild Andean condors

Sources of Mortality in Bald Eagles in Michigan, 1986–2017

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