Paramount Roles of Wild Birds as Bioindicators of Contamination

Abstract

This review aims to give all-inclusive précis of key roles of wild birds as bioindicators of contamination using theoretical and empirical evidence provided in different literature and its influence on conservation. Over the years wild birds have been used as bioindicators of contamination globally. Are wild birds suitable for measuring heavy metal pollution? Bioindicators are species used to appraise the health conditions of the environment and they are capable of determining the environmental integrity if their functions and populations are put into consideration. Birds are good indicators because they are very easy to detect and their presence is easy to observe in any environment or if the habitat does not fulfill the ecological requirements, as they are equipped with the ability of flight so that they will leave the environment. Apart from that, in classification individual species are easy to identify with their wide distribution. Heavy metals are essential elements for organisms but may be toxic with high level, affecting productive function and behavioural features and equally heavy metals can easily be accumulated and biomagnified through food or food web. Therefore, using birds as bioindicators is a function of properties of interest and resources available for ecological evaluation which promotes conservation of bird species for impending generation.

Use of Spilopelia senegalensis as a Biomonitor of Heavy Metal Contamination from Mining Activities in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)

“…Hg accumulation played a role in the nephro-, hepato-, and pulmonary toxicity observed in S. senegalensis. Hg has been reported to decrease fertility, egg weight, and embryonic growth, and induce kidney lesions in wild birds [5,8]. Both Hg and methylmercury trigger LPO and apoptosis, and therefore, cause nephro-and hepatotoxicity [58][59][60].…”

“…Given their well-treated classification and ease of detection in the environment [4], birds represent valuable biological indicators. In accordance, birds have been used as biomonitors to assess contamination of the environment with persistent organic pollutants, ecosystem health, biological effects of climate change, and different ecological processes [5][6][7][8]. The destructive effect of regular pollutants, such as inorganic fertilizers and pesticides, on bird populations has been explored in multiple studies [5][6][7][8].…”

Bioacumulación de mercurio y plomo en el pato Dendrocygna autumnalis en la subregión de la Mojana, Colombia

“…Las cantidades de metales pesados halladas en D. autumnalis, pueden explicarse debido a aspectos puntales en la ecología de la especie. En este sentido, los hábitos alimenticios de los individuos juegan un rol crucial en los procesos de bioacumulación y biomagnificación de contaminantes como los metales pesados (31). D. autumnalis es una especie de pato con hábitos alimenticios omnívoros, cuya dieta se basa mayoritariamente en granos de plantas y pequeños invertebrados (13).…”

Non-invasive sampling of bats reflects their potential as ecological indicators of heavy metal and trace metal contamination due to open cast diamond mining, northern Limpopo Province, South Africa

“…For example, heavy metals are known to accumulate in marine sediments, affect benthic life and become a risk for humans consuming marine organisms such as sea cucumbers (Bat et al 2020). There are a number of organisms ranging from invertebrates, to shrews, rodents, birds, and sea cucumbers that are suggested as suitable bioindicators for heavy metal and trace element exposure (Dallinger 1994, Egwumah et al 2017, Bat et al 2020. Data on element toxicity effects in wild animals is limited and it is challenging to provide a concentration range of heavy metal and trace elements that re ects "normal" conditions in organs and tissues ).…”