Demographic implications of lead poisoning for eagles across North America.

Lead poisoning occurs worldwide in populations of predatory birds, but exposure rates and population impacts are known only from regional studies. We evaluated the lead exposure of 1210 bald and golden eagles from 38 US states across North America, including 620 live eagles. We detected unexpectedly high frequencies of lead poisoning of eagles, both chronic (46 to 47% of bald and golden eagles, as measured in bone) and acute (27 to 33% of bald eagles and 7 to 35% of golden eagles, as measured in liver, blood, and feathers).

New geographic records for in coyotes and moose from Nova Scotia, Canada.

spp. tapeworms can cause serious diseases in mammals, including humans. Within the species complex, metacestodes produce unilocular cysts that are responsible for cystic echinococcosis in animal intermediate hosts.

Not playing by the rules: Unusual patterns in the epidemiology of parasites in a natural population of feral horses () on Sable Island, Canada.

Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada hosts one of few natural populations of feral horses () never exposed to anthelmintics. Coproculture revealed cyathostomes, and , with (unusually) dominating in adult horses and cyathostomes dominating in young horses (<3 years of age). We examined 35 horses found dead in the springs of 2017 and 2018, as well as fecal samples from live horses in spring (n = 45) and summer 2018 (n = 236) using McMaster fecal flotation and Baermann larval sedimentation on fresh samples, and modified Wisconsin flotation and sucrose gradient immunofluorescent assay for and on frozen samples.

Feeding Ecology Drives Lead Exposure of Facultative and Obligate Avian Scavengers in the Eastern United States.

Lead poisoning of scavenging birds is a global issue. However, the drivers of lead exposure of avian scavengers have been understood from the perspective of individual species, not cross-taxa assemblages. We analyzed blood (n = 285) and liver (n = 226) lead concentrations of 5 facultative (American crows [Corvus brachyrhynchos], bald eagles [Haliaeetus leucocephalus], golden eagles [Aquila chrysaetos], red-shouldered hawks [Buteo lineatus], and red-tailed hawks [Buteo jamaicensis]) and 2 obligate (black vultures [Coragyps atratus] and turkey vultures [Cathartes aura] avian scavenger species to identify lead exposure patterns.

PREVALENCE OF BOX TURTLE ADENOVIRUS IN EASTERN BOX TURTLES () PRESENTED TO A WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTER IN VIRGINIA, USA.

Eastern box turtles () are a native North American species with a declining population trend that may be attributable to habitat fragmentation, vehicle collisions, and disease. Adenoviral infections can cause significant morbidity and mortality in captive reptile populations. Adenoviruses have been documented in box turtles, but their occurrence and impact in wild populations are unknown.