Comparing anticoagulant rodenticide exposure in barn owl (Tyto alba) and common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus): A biomonitoring study in an agricultural region of southeastern Spain.

Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) are commonly used for rodent control, affecting various non-target wildlife species. Here, blood samples from common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus, n = 70 chicks) and barn owls (Tyto alba, n = 54 chicks and 12 adults) from Southeastern Spain were analysed using HPLC-TQ. SGAR prevalence was 68.

Active monitoring of long-eared owl (Asio otus) nestlings reveals widespread exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides across different agricultural landscapes.

The widespread use of anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) poses a worldwide threat to farmland wildlife. These compounds accumulate in tissues of both target and non-target species, potentially endangering both direct consumers and their predators. However, investigations on ARs in blood of free-ranging predatory birds are rare.

Mercury Exposure in Birds of Prey from Norway: Relation to Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Signatures in Body Feathers.

Mercury (Hg) and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were analysed in body feathers from nestlings of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) (WTE; n = 13) and Northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) (NG; n = 8) and in red blood cells (RBC) from NG (n = 11) from Norway. According to linear mixed model, species factor was significant in explaining the Hg concentration in feathers (LMM; p < 0.001, estimate (WTE) = 2.

Feather mercury levels in beached Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) in northern Argentina during the non-breeding season.

Mercury (Hg) is a great concern for marine environments. Bird feathers have been widely used to assess Hg pollution. In this study, we determine mercury concentrations in body feathers of juvenile Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) from the southeastern sector of Buenos Aires province, Argentina, during a non-breeding season, considering both sexes.

Dust and bullets: Stable isotopes and GPS tracking disentangle lead sources for a large avian scavenger.

Lead intoxication is an important threat to human health and a large number of wildlife species. Animals are exposed to several sources of lead highlighting hunting ammunition and lead that is bioavailable in topsoil. Disentangling the role of each in lead exposure is an important conservation issue, particularly for species potentially affected by lead poisoning, such as vultures.

Validation of Multi-Residue Method for Quantification of Antibiotics and NSAIDs in Avian Scavengers by Using Small Amounts of Plasma in HPLC-MS-TOF.

Pharmaceuticals are still considered emerging pollutants affecting both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Scavenging bird species may be exposed to veterinary drugs when they feed on livestock carcasses provided at supplementary feeding stations, as these are often stocked with ailing and/or recently medicated animals. Because those animals may be a source of several different pharmaceutical compounds, analytical methods to evaluate residue levels and exposure potential should enable detection and quantification of as many different compounds as possible, preferably from small sample volumes.

Temporal changes in metal concentrations in Andean condor feathers: a potential influence of volcanic activity.

Geothermal activities (e.g., volcanic eruptions) represent one of the most important natural sources of metal emissions (heavy metals and metalloids).

Organochlorine pesticides in feathers of three raptor species in southern Brazil.

In this study, we determined the presence of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in back feathers from three raptor species, Phalcoboenus chimango, Milvago chimachima and Caracara plancus. Samples were obtained from live animals and ten OCPs were detected: α-HCH, β-HCH and γ-HCH (lindane), heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, aldrin, endosulfan I, endosulfan II, endosulfan sulfate and p,p'-DDE. The concentrations found were higher than those reported in other raptor species, and C.

Selection of new chemicals to be used in conditioned aversion for non-lethal predation control.

Globally, native predators and scavengers are threatened through the incidence of illegal poisoning due to increasing human-wildlife conflicts. The use of conditioned taste aversion (CTA) may mitigate such conflicts. CTA is a robust learning paradigm that occurs when animals associate a food with a discomfort induced by a chemical, thereby avoiding that food in subsequent encounters.

Conditioned food aversion in domestic dogs induced by thiram.

Background: The conflict between predators and humans for resources such as game species or livestock is an ancient issue, and it is especially sharp in the case of medium-large wild canids. In order to manage this conflict, lethal control methods are often used, which can sometimes be illegal, such as poisoning. As an alternative, conditioned food aversion (CFA) is a non-lethal method to reduce predation in which animals learn to avoid a given food due to the adverse effects caused by the ingestion of an undetectable chemical compound added to this food.

Spatiotemporal variations of organochlorine pesticides in an apex predator: Influence of government regulations and farming practices.

Background: Intensification of agricultural practices has caused several negative effects to the environment. The use of fertilizers and pesticides may alter geochemical cycles or cause direct wildlife intoxication. Detrimental effects of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have forced the authorities to ban or restrict its use.

Mercury in the feathers of bird scavengers from two areas of Patagonia (Argentina) under the influence of different anthropogenic activities: a preliminary study.

Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that bioaccumulates and biomagnifies in food chains and is associated with adverse effects in both humans and wildlife. We used feather samples from bird scavengers to evaluate Hg concentrations in two different areas of Northern Patagonia. Hg concentrations were analyzed in feathers obtained from turkey vultures (Cathartes aura), Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus), and southern crested caracaras (Caracara plancus) from the two areas of Northern Patagonia (Argentina): Bariloche and El Valle.

Estrogenic activity of zearalenone, α-zearalenol and β-zearalenol assessed using the E-screen assay in MCF-7 cells.

Mycotoxins, including zearalenone (ZEA), can occur worldwide in cereals. They can enter the food chain and cause several health disorders. ZEA and its derivatives (α-zearalenol, α-ZOL and β-zearalenol, β-ZOL) have structural analogy to estrogen, thus they can bind to estrogen receptors (ERs).

Oxidative damage and disturbance of antioxidant capacity by zearalenone and its metabolites in human cells.

Mycotoxin contamination of foods and feeds represent a serious problem worldwide. Zearalenone (ZEA) is a secondary metabolite produced by Fusarium species. This study explores oxidative cellular damage and intracellular defense mechanisms (enzymatic and non-enzymatic) in the hepatoma cell line HepG2 after exposure to ZEA and its metabolites (α-zearalenol, α-ZOL; β-zearalenol, β-ZOL).

Oxidative stress biomarkers in Eurasian eagle owls (Bubo bubo) in three different scenarios of heavy metal exposure.

The main aim of the present study is the assessment of oxidative stress related to metals in the Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo) from three areas (agricultural and rural area, industrial area, and mining area) of Murcia, Southern Spain. Mean blood metal concentrations were Cd=0.07±0.

Factors that influence mercury concentrations in nestling Eagle Owls (Bubo bubo).

Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that bioaccumulates and biomagnifies in food chains, and is associated with adverse effects in both humans and wildlife. The Hg levels detected in blood obtained from Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) chicks in Southeast Spain (Murcia) can be considered low (mean Hg concentration in blood from 2006 to 2012 was 36.83 ± 145.