Lead concentration in the bones of the feral pigeons (Columba livia): Sources of variation relating to body condition and death

This paper reports on lead concentrations in the tarsometatarsi of 84 individuals of adult feral pigeons Columba livia found dead or experimentally captured in Bratislava, Slovakia. The interrelationships between lead concentrations and time of death, place of death, body measurements, sex, conditio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology 1998-07, Vol.35 (1), p.70-74
Main Authors: JANIGA, M, ZEMBERYOVA, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of Variance
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Animals, Wild - metabolism
Applied ecology
Aves
Biological and medical sciences
Birds
Body Constitution
Body Weight - drug effects
Bone and Bones - metabolism
Columba livia
Columbidae - metabolism
Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution
Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on vertebrates
Feathers - drug effects
Feathers - metabolism
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Lead - metabolism
Lead - toxicity
Lead content
Lead poisoning
Male
Metatarsal Bones - metabolism
Mortality
Phenotype
Poisoning
Sex Characteristics
Tarsus, Animal - metabolism
Winter
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Summary:This paper reports on lead concentrations in the tarsometatarsi of 84 individuals of adult feral pigeons Columba livia found dead or experimentally captured in Bratislava, Slovakia. The interrelationships between lead concentrations and time of death, place of death, body measurements, sex, condition, and plumage phenotype were investigated. Size and shape of pigeons was not correlated with bone lead contamination. Sex and plumage color and pattern were slightly associated with variation in bone lead levels, females and melanic (urban) phenotypes tending to have higher bone lead concentrations than males and blue-bar (wild) individuals. Birds with antibodies to chlamydiae did not contain significantly higher lead concentrations in the tarsometatarsi than birds without antibodies. Concentration of lead in tarsi was significantly higher in birds dying in winter, compared to birds dying at the end of summer. Chronic lead poisoning probably causes mortality in pigeons in winter. The natural stressor, cold weather, has the capability of exacerbating the effects of lead poisoning, and the mortality is due to lead exposure coupled with cold stress.
ISSN:0090-4341
1432-0703
DOI:10.1007/s002449900351