Lead poisoning in the globally threatened marbled teal and white‐headed duck in Spain
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Abstract
Marbled teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) and white‐headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala) are the two European ducks threatened with global extinction. We investigated lead (Pb) poisoning in stifftails (Oxyura spp., n = 83) and marbled teal (n = 80) shot or found dead or moribund in Spanish wetlands via gizzard examination and liver, bone, and blood Pb analysis. Ingested Pb shot was present in 32% of shot stifftails and 70 and 43% of dead or moribund stifftails and marbled teal, respectively. Lead‐shot ingestion was more frequent in Valencia (eastern Spain), where Pb‐shot densities were higher and grit scarcer. Selection of larger grit similar in size to Pb shot may explain the higher rate of Pb‐shot ingestion observed in stifftails. Ingested shot was found more frequently in juvenile stifftails than in adults. Lead bone concentrations were higher in ducklings <9 d old than in fully grown teal and were also higher in adult than in juvenile teal. Our results show the need for a ban of Pb shot for waterfowl hunting in Spain and the cleanup of spent shot at major wetlands.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Lead poisoning in the globally threatened marbled teal and white‐headed duck in Spain |
| Series title | Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry |
| DOI | 10.1002/etc.5620201228 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Year Published | 2001 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Contributing office(s) | National Wetlands Research Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center |
| Description | 9 p. |
| First page | 2860 |
| Last page | 2868 |
| Country | Spain |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |