Mercury Concentrations in Post-Fledging Wood Storks

Mercury concentrations were measured in blood, down and feather samples collected from 20 post-fledging Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) captured in the coastal zone of Georgia to establish a reference level for free-ranging storks utilizing this region and assess if mercury is present in potentiall...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Waterbirds (De Leon Springs, Fla.) Fla.), 2001-08, Vol.24 (2), p.277-281
Main Authors: Bryan, A. L., Jagoe, C. H., Brant, H. A., Gariboldi, J. C., Masson, G. R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bird nesting
Blood
Feathers
Fish
Freshwater
Liver
Mercury
Molting
Mycteria americana
Storks
Wading birds
Waterfowl
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Mercury concentrations were measured in blood, down and feather samples collected from 20 post-fledging Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) captured in the coastal zone of Georgia to establish a reference level for free-ranging storks utilizing this region and assess if mercury is present in potentially hazardous concentrations. Blood concentrations ranged from 0.04-1.57 μg Hg/g (wet weight) and down and feather concentrations ranged from 1.23-18.05 μg Hg/g (dry weight). Comparisons of observed concentrations with published levels of concern suggest that some free-ranging storks may be at risk of sublethal effects due to mercury contamination. Observed concentrations are generally higher than those reported for Wood Stork nestlings in this region from the same time period, possibly resulting from differences in diet and patterns of down/feather growth and molt.
ISSN:1524-4695
1938-5390
DOI:10.2307/1522042