AI Article Synopsis
- - Ingestion of lead (Pb) from hunting ammunition poses a significant risk of Pb exposure to wild birds, particularly raptors like Eurasian buzzards in the UK, yet data on this issue is limited in Europe.
- - A study over 11 years found that 2.7% of buzzards had liver Pb levels indicating acute exposure and 4.0% had femur Pb levels associated with lethal exposure, with older birds showing higher femur Pb concentrations.
- - Analysis of stable isotopes revealed that a significant portion of the Pb in buzzards' livers—57% overall and 89% in those with high Pb levels—originated from shotgun pellets, suggesting that the exposure primarily occurs through predation
Article Abstract
Ingestion of lead (Pb) derived from ammunition used in the hunting of game animals is recognised to be a significant potential source of Pb exposure of wild birds, including birds of prey. However, there are only limited data for birds of prey in Europe regarding tissue concentrations and origins of Pb. Eurasian buzzards (Buteo buteo) found dead in the United Kingdom during an 11-year period were collected and the concentrations of Pb in the liver and femur were measured. Concentrations in the liver consistent with acute exposure to Pb were found in 2.7% of birds and concentration in the femur consistent with exposure to lethal levels were found in 4.0% of individuals. Pb concentration in the femur showed no evidence of consistent variation among or within years, but was greater for old than for young birds. The Pb concentration in the liver showed no effect of the birds' age, but varied markedly among years and showed a consistent tendency to increase substantially within years throughout the UK hunting season for gamebirds. The resemblance of the stable isotope composition of Pb from buzzard livers to that of Pb from the types of shotgun ammunition most widely-used in the UK increased markedly with increasing Pb concentration in the liver. Stable isotope results were consistent with 57% of the mass of Pb in livers of all of the buzzards sampled being derived from shotgun pellets, with this proportion being 89% for the birds with concentrations indicating acute exposure to Pb. Hence, most of the Pb acquired by Eurasian buzzards which have liver concentrations likely to be associated with lethal and sublethal effects is probably obtained when they prey upon or scavenge gamebirds and mammals shot using Pb shotgun pellets.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115629 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
First assessment of the prevalence of haemosporidian infections in Accipitriformes raptors in Greece.
Parasitol Res
January 2025
School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Haemosporidians, a group of vector-borne parasites that parasitize the blood cells and internal organs of various animal species, are reported to cause severe pathology in raptors. Species belonging to the genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon are the ones of greatest wildlife importance. The common buzzard (Buteo buteo) and the Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) are the most numerous raptor species in Europe.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParasitic survey of birds of prey used for falconry in Poland.
Pol J Vet Sci
December 2024
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Invasive Diseases, Oczapowskiego 13, 10-718 Olsztyn, Poland.
Birds of prey raised in captivity have direct contact with the environment and are fed raw meat various animals, which increases the risk of infections caused by parasites, including endoparasites. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of endoparasites in predatory birds of the orders Accipitriformes and Falconiformes that are used in falconry in Poland. Fresh feces were sampled from 52 birds, including 16 saker falcons (Falco cherrug), 8 lanner falcons (Falco biarmicus), 7 peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus), 8 Harris's hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus), 7 Eurasian goshawks (Accipiter gentilis), 3 common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), 1 Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), 1 red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), and 1 common buzzard (Buteo buteo).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChanges of nestling ringing dates in nine bird species over seven decades.
Sci Rep
October 2024
Institute of Evolution, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary.
Article Synopsis
- Climate change is causing avian breeding seasons to start earlier in the temperate zone, leading researchers to explore if this pattern also appears in the timing of nestling ringing dates.
- The study uses annual median ringing dates from 1951 to 2020 for 9 bird species in Hungary, aiming to offset some data collection biases.
- Results showed significant advancements in breeding dates (by 9-14 days) for some species, like the Black-headed Gull and Great Tit, while others, like the Common Tern and Long-eared Owl, showed no meaningful changes.
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.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int
November 2024
Department of Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 50, 60-627, Poznań, Poland.
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Novel Method for Nonparametric Statistical Inference for Niche Overlap in Multiple Species.
Biom J
October 2024
Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Interfaces, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
Article Synopsis
- Understanding species interactions and ecosystem dynamics is essential for ecology, and this study focuses on the quantification of Hutchinsonian-niches and their overlap.
- Previous methods for estimating niche overlap lacked confidence intervals and often assumed conditions that weren't met, limiting their applicability.
- This paper introduces a nonparametric approach to estimate niche overlap among multiple species, applying it to the breeding habitat preferences of the Eurasian eagle owl, common buzzard, and red kite in Central Europe, providing valuable insights into their competition dynamics.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!