Toxicology of Birds of Prey

Smits, Judit E. G.; Naidoo, Vinny

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-73745-4_10

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 89 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Addressing the gaps and uncertainties in the existing information on mortality events of Griffon Vultures could assist in developing protocols to handle them efficiently. Our findings showed that most deaths in the central Apennines are due to anthropogenic causes, similar to what happens for other vultures in Europe and worldwide (Berny et al 2015, Botha et al 2017, Green et al 2016, Hernández and Margalida 2008, López-Bao and Mateo-Tomás 2022, Margalida 2012, Ogada et al 2016, Smits and Naidoo 2018). However, the main cause of death may vary with geographical area and target species (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Currently, more than 70% of vulture species worldwide are prone to extinction by human activities (Buechley and Şekercioğlu 2016, IUCN 2019), because their feeding behaviour exposes them to contaminants and pathogens (Plaza et al 2020a), often in large numbers because of their gregarious foraging behaviour (Ogada et al 2012). In addition, vultures are long-lived species that occupy the highest trophic levels and are therefore predisposed to bioaccumulation (Smits and Naidoo 2018). For these reasons, deliberate or incidental poisoning (Ragothaman and Chirukandoth 2011) represent the most widespread reasons for the decline of obligate scavengers worldwide (Plaza et al 2019a,b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Reported mortality of Griffon VultureGyps fulvusin central Italy and indications for conservation and management

Posillico¹,

Costanzo

Bottoni

et al. 2023

Bird Conservation International

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary Vultures are long-lived species sensitive to human-caused mortality that has already determined a widespread collapse in Asian and African populations. They provide significant ecosystem services (regulatory and cultural) consuming livestock carcasses and saving greenhouse gas emissions, favouring nutrient recycling, environmental sanitation, and providing financial revenue. Appraising the incidence and causes of mortality could help to improve management and conservation actions. We compiled records of reported mortalities for the reintroduced Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus population of the central Apennines in Italy (123 cases, July 1994–December 2020). The average mortality was 4.69 vultures per year (± 1.14 SE), with no significant temporal trend. The peak of mortality events, estimated by harmonic regression analysis, was in March, while the minimum occurred in October. No differences were found among age classes and sex ratio mortality was established at 1.43:1 (M:F, N = 68). Out of 103 (83.7%) vultures which underwent a post-mortem and toxicological screening, 53% were poisoned, mainly by carbamates, and 27% died of unknown causes. Overall, direct or indirect anthropogenic mortality caused 67% of deaths. Even considering an inherent bias associated with reported mortality as to the prevalence of causes of death and estimation of mortality rates, the overwhelming relevance of poisoning highlights that existing anti-poisoning efforts should be refined and incorporated into a coordinated multidisciplinary strategy. A standardised approach, from vulture carcass discovery to post-mortem procedures and toxicological analysis, should be applied to reduce uncertainty in the determination of causes of death, increasing effectiveness in the prosecution of wildlife crimes. As most of the poisoning cases affecting the Griffon Vulture population in the central Apennines likely represent a side (though illegal) effect of retaliatory efforts to defeat livestock predators, effective strategies in reducing human–wildlife conflicts should be applied.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reported mortality of Griffon VultureGyps fulvusin central Italy and indications for conservation and management

Posillico¹,

Costanzo

Bottoni

et al. 2023

Bird Conservation International

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…From a conservation perspective, this report underlines the vulnerability of scavengers, particularly the Andean Condor, to heavy metal poisoning and its well‐known effects: general health deterioration (e.g. renal and reproductive failure; also digestive, endocrine and neurologic alterations) and eventual death (Krone, 2018; Smits & Naidoo, 2018). The contamination of the Pilcomayo River by heavy metals is widely documented – its origin being the continuous dumping of mining waste in the upper river basin for at least 500 years (Van Damme et al., 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The contamination of the Pilcomayo River by heavy metals is widely documented – its origin being the continuous dumping of mining waste in the upper river basin for at least 500 years (Van Damme et al., 2019). Although there seems to be no consensus on how contaminated with heavy metals the fish in this river would be, specifically for human consumption (Stassen et al., 2012; Van Damme et al., 2019), and from that parameter for consumption by condors and other wildlife (Smits & Naidoo, 2018), the available evidence is sufficient to opt for applying the precautionary principle to this situation (Cooney, 2004) and lead to further investigation. Such a measure has already been suggested in similar cases in which raptors were suspected of being poisoned with human‐generated contaminants through their food (Krone, 2018; Smits & Naidoo, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Condors scavenge on fish at the land–water interface in the Andean foothill of southern Bolivia

Pizarro Ríos,

Méndez

2024

Austral Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is very little information on Andean condors scavenging on fish. Here we report five events of condors feeding on fish carrion in the Bolivian Chaco Serrano in three consecutive years. In 2019, 2020, and 2021, condors were observed feeding on discarded fish from local fishermen, 3 km west of Villa Montes, in the ‘El Angosto’ section of the Pilcomayo River. Fishing, mainly for sábalo (Prochilodus lineatus), is the most important economic activity in that part of the Pilcomayo basin and its discards explain fish carrion availability there, while driving scavengers to feed on this resource. We believe that fish carrion abundance, the intensity of intra‐ and interspecific competition for access to carrion, and overall carrion availability hierarchically influence the fact that condors feed on fish, something we will investigate later based on the observations reported here. From a conservation perspective, the main consequence of scavengers feeding on fish from the Pilcomayo is that they could be getting heavy metal poisoning. Heavy metal poisoning is a serious threat with widely known negative effects for wildlife. Our observations should serve to promote comprehensive bio‐monitoring of the Pilcomayo basin, using approaches such as One Health, and emphasizing the importance of coexistence between humans and the rest of biodiversity, with the Andean Condor as the flagship species.

show abstract

Factors affecting the concentration of metals and metalloids in the kidneys of a top predator, the Eurasian Buzzard (Buteo buteo) wintering in farmland in Poland

Kitowski,

Jakubas,

Wiącek

et al. 2024

Environ Sci Pollut Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During late autumn and winter, raptors in the western Palearctic face challenges due to food scarcity and dropping temperatures. That time they can be exposed to various elements including toxic ones ingested with food. Kidney samples from 22 females and 19 males of a medium-sized raptor, the Common Buzzard Buteo buteo found dead in farmland of Eastern Poland in winter were analyzed for a concentration of 21 elements. Elemental concentrations were analyzed regarding the age and sex of birds. Results revealed that only 4.9% of individuals had kidney lead levels exceeding 8.0 mg, while 9.8% showed cadmium levels above 8.0 mg/kg, indicating potential poisoning. The study also highlighted the limited entry of arsenic into agricultural ecosystems exploited by Common Buzzards. Sex differences were noted, with females accumulating more lead and vanadium than males which can be associated with foraging niche partitioning between sexes driven by body size dimorphism. Sulfur showed complex interactions with cadmium, mercury, and zinc, with a positive correlation between sulfur and zinc levels in the kidneys, emphasizing dietary needs during food scarcity. A positive correlation was found between zinc and lead concentrations, indicating zinc’s role in mitigating lead’s impact. The study also revealed positive correlations between selenium and highly toxic elements like mercury (Spearman correlation, rs = 0.41) and cadmium (rs = 0.51), suggesting a mitigating effect of selenium on exposure to heavy metals. This study enhances understanding of year-round environmental contamination exposure for raptors and sheds light on bioaccumulation in a top predator.

show abstract

Toxicology of Birds of Prey

Cited by 3 publications

References 89 publications

Reported mortality of Griffon VultureGyps fulvusin central Italy and indications for conservation and management

Reported mortality of Griffon VultureGyps fulvusin central Italy and indications for conservation and management

Condors scavenge on fish at the land–water interface in the Andean foothill of southern Bolivia

Factors affecting the concentration of metals and metalloids in the kidneys of a top predator, the Eurasian Buzzard (Buteo buteo) wintering in farmland in Poland

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About