Lesser White-fronted (Anser erythropus) and Greater White-fronted (A. albifrons) Geese wintering in Greek wetlands are not threatened by Pb through shot ingestion

Aloupi, Maria; Kazantzidis, Savas; Akriotis, Triantaphyllos; Bantikou, Evangelia; Hatzidaki, Victoria-Ourania

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.04.083

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Recent European studies have reported little or no evidence of gunshot ingestion in geese feeding in areas with no hunting or low gunshot densities (Aloupi et al 2015; Mateo et al 2016 for studies in Greece and Bulgaria respectively). Runia and Solem (2016) found levels of lead gunshot ingestion to be about five times higher in 660 ring-necked pheasant ( Phasianus colchicus ) harvested on shooting preserves in South Dakota USA then in 1301 birds from non-preserve areas where lead gunshot availability was presumably lower (3.9%, 95% CI 2.7–5.7% vs 0.8%, 95% CI 0.4–1.4% respectively).…”

Section: Pathways Of Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of lead from ammunition on birds and other wildlife: A review and update

Pain

Mateo

Green

2019

Ambio

199

160

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Poisoning of wild birds following ingestion of lead from ammunition has long been recognised and considerable recent research has focused on terrestrial birds, including raptors and scavengers. This paper builds upon previous reviews and finds that both the number of taxa affected and geographical spread of cases has increased. Some lead may also be absorbed from embedded ammunition fragments in injured birds which risk sub-lethal and welfare effects. Some papers suggest inter-specific differences in sensitivity to lead, although it is difficult to disentangle these from other factors that influence effect severity. Sub-lethal effects have been found at lower blood lead concentrations than previously reported, suggesting that previous effect-level ‘thresholds’ should be abandoned or revised. Lead poisoning is estimated to kill a million wildfowl a year in Europe and cause sub-lethal poisoning in another ≥ 3 million. Modelling and correlative studies have supported the potential for population-level effects of lead poisoning in wildfowl, terrestrial birds, raptors and scavengers.

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Section: Pathways Of Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of lead from ammunition on birds and other wildlife: A review and update

Pain

Mateo

Green

2019

Ambio

199

160

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“…According to Aloupi et al (2015), a seasonal increase of lead (Pb) and aluminium (Al) was recorded in LWFG’s droppings at Kerkini Lake during the 2013–2014 wintering period, which indicates a gradual increase in soil ingestion by the grazing birds. The same authors claimed that the decrease of the availability and height of grasses (the main food of LWfG) and generally of all available vegetation as winter progresses may explain the gradual increase in soil intake, especially in early December.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet selection by wintering Lesser White-fronted GooseAnser erythropusand the role of food availability

Karmiris¹,

Kazantzidis²,

Platis³

et al. 2017

Bird Conservation International

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SummaryThe Fennoscandian population of the Lesser White-fronted GooseAnser erythropus(LWfG) is on the verge of extinction and migrates from northern Fennoscandia to Greece on a regular seasonal basis. For the first time, diet selection was investigated during two years at Kerkini Lake, a wintering site in Greece. The relative use of LWfG’s feeding habitats was systematically recorded by visual observations of the LWfG flocks. Food availability was measured by the relative cover of available vegetation types while the diet composition was determined by the microhistological analysis of droppings. In addition, we determined crude protein, neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre and acid detergent lignin content of the most preferred plant species by LWfG and all vegetation categories that contributed to LWfG diet in the middle of the duration of their stay at Kerkini Lake and after their departure from the lake. LWfG feeding habitat was exclusively marshy grassland in water less than 5 cm deep up to 300–400 m away from the shore. LWfG selected a diverse number of plant species (33), however, grass made up the 58% of their diets. The most preferred plant species wereEchinochloa crus-galli,Cyperus esculentus,Scirpus lacustrisandRanunculus sceleratus. LWfG departed from Kerkini Lake in mid-December to the Evros Delta (Thrace, eastern Greece), when either food availability falls in very low levels or flooding occurred in their main feeding habitat. Consequently, as long as food and habitat resources are available for LWfG, it is very likely that the birds will winter mainly at Kerkini Lake and not at the Evros Delta, which will contribute to further minimisation of the theoretical risk of accidental shooting of LWfG at the latter wintering habitat. Thus, future conservation actions should primarily focus on the grassland improvement at Kerkini Lake enhancing the availability of food resources for LWfG (mainly grasses) and the protection of the feeding habitat from flooding.

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“…Globally, thousands of tonnes of spent lead gunshots are irretrievably deposited in the environment each year and between 8000 and 13 000 tonnes are used in the UK annually (Cromie et al 2015). Lead pellets degrade very slowly, allowing lead to persist in the environment for decades after deposition (Takamatsu et al 2010, Binkowski 2017, Kanstrup et al 2020) and the risk of lead poisoning is greater in areas with intense, regular shooting (Aloupi et al 2015, Mateo et al 2016, Pain et al 2019. To reduce the impact of future lead poisoning on wild populations, various restrictions have been put in place.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both methods can detect up to 75% of shot pellets or fragments present in the gizzard (Montalbano & Hines 1978). Faecal sampling also provides an assessment of current and recent lead exposure non-invasively by delineating between ingestion of lead shot and other shot types such as steel, and has been used in a variety of goose species including Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis (Mateo et al 2016); Greylag Goose Anser anser (Martinez-Haro et al 2013); and Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus and Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons (Aloupi et al 2015). Geese ingest soil or sediment that contains trace amounts of aluminium and lead when actively collecting grit or accidentally when ingesting vegetation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Geese ingest soil or sediment that contains trace amounts of aluminium and lead when actively collecting grit or accidentally when ingesting vegetation. The amount of aluminium in faeces is indicative of the level of soil or sediment ingestion and if that is the primary source of faecal lead then concentrations of lead and aluminium will tend to be closely correlated across individuals (Martínez-Haro et al 2010, Aloupi et al 2015, Mateo et al 2016. Any intake of additional lead, such as ingested lead shot, would cause a significant deviation from the normally strong correlation between aluminium and lead (Elliott et al 2008, Yin et al 2008, Martínez-Haro et al 2010, Martinez-Haro et al 2011a.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Incidence of lead ingestion in managed goose populations and the efficacy of imposed restrictions on the use of lead shot

McIntosh

Ozsanlav-Harris

Taggart

et al. 2023

Ibis

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Lead is a toxic heavy metal that when ingested can cause death or sub‐lethal fitness effects. Despite its toxicity, it is still widely used in recreational and management shooting globally. To reduce the impacts of lead on wildfowl, recent European Union legislation has banned the use of lead shot in and around wetlands from 2023. Understanding the effectiveness of such mitigation is vital to inform future policy. On Islay, Scotland, the licensed shooting of Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis to reduce agricultural damage has adhered to the ban on use of lead shot over Ramsar‐designated wetlands legislated in Scotland in 2004. On average 2380 lead cartridges were fired annually between 2005 and 2020 outside designated wetlands, where Barnacle Geese and other wildfowl forage. From faecal samples, it is possible to infer whether birds have ingested lead and are therefore potentially suffering from lead poisoning. After sampling faeces from Barnacle Geese (n = 193) and Greenland White‐fronted Geese Anser albifrons flavirostris (n = 150) we found only four (1.2%) faecal samples with elevated lead levels that may be indicative of lead shot ingestion. Further post‐mortem examinations (n = 102 Barnacle Geese only) and X‐ray of live birds (n = 293) revealed similarly low levels of shot ingestion in both species (post‐mortem < 4%, and X‐ray < 2%), corroborating findings from faecal sample analysis. When subsequently accounting for limited shot retention time within individuals, the proportion of each population ingesting a single lead shot over a winter was estimated at a maximum of 9.4% (Barnacle Geese) and 16.8% (White‐fronted Geese). We propose that high compliance with the ban on using lead shot over wetlands because of carefully controlled shooting management on Islay has led to relatively low instantaneous ingestion rates, probably resulting in minimal lead poisoning mortality. However, ingestion was not eliminated and the potential fitness effect of chronic lead poisoning in both goose populations therefore persists, although use of lead shot in organized shooting has subsequently been discontinued. Recent European Union bans on lead shot use over wetlands may reduce lead ingestion in waterfowl if compliance rates are high, but as foraging often occurs outside wetlands (as in this study), further restrictions including use on other key foraging sites may help to further mitigate the risk of lead poisoning in waterfowl.

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Lesser White-fronted (Anser erythropus) and Greater White-fronted (A. albifrons) Geese wintering in Greek wetlands are not threatened by Pb through shot ingestion

Cited by 11 publications

References 40 publications

Effects of lead from ammunition on birds and other wildlife: A review and update

Effects of lead from ammunition on birds and other wildlife: A review and update

Diet selection by wintering Lesser White-fronted GooseAnser erythropusand the role of food availability

Incidence of lead ingestion in managed goose populations and the efficacy of imposed restrictions on the use of lead shot

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