Abstract
This study presents liver concentrations of trace elements of cinereous vultures (Aegypius monachus), common buzzards (Buteo buteo), common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), and Eurasian eagle owls (Bubo bubo) collected in Korea from 2007 to 2008. Iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) concentrations in common kestrel juveniles were greater than in other juveniles of birds of prey. Adult cinereous vultures had greater Fe, Pb, and Cd concentrations than in those of other species, but common kestrels had greater Mn and Cu concentrations than in those of other birds of prey. Zinc concentrations in Eurasian eagle owl juveniles and adults were greater than in juveniles and adults of other species, respectively. In common kestrels, Fe, Cu, Pb, and Cd concentrations were significantly greater in adults than in juveniles. In Eurasian eagle owls, only Pb concentrations were greater in adults than in juveniles. Essential elements, such as Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu concentrations, were within the range of other birds of prey studies. Seventeen individual birds of prey (30 %) were at a level considered Pb exposed (6–30 µg/g dw). This is a greater proportion than reported earlier in herons, egrets, and other birds from Korea. Elevated Pb concentration might be attributed to ingestion of Pb shot and bullet fragments for cinereous vultures and common buzzards, and urbanization for common kestrels. Cadmium concentrations in birds of prey were within the background concentrations (<3 µg/g dw) for wild birds.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Battaglia A, Ghidini S, Campanini G, Spaggiari R (2005) Heavy metal contamination in little owl (Athene noctuna) and common buzzard (Buteo buteo) from Northern Italy. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 60:61–66
Berglund ÅMM, Ingvarsson PK, Danielsson H, Nyholm NEI (2010) Lead exposure and biological effects in pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) before and after the closure of a lead mine in northern Sweden. Environ Pollut 158:1368–1375
Berglund ÅMM, Koivula MJ, Eeva T (2011) Species- and age-related variation in metal exposure and accumulation of two passerine bird species. Environ Pollut 159:2368–2374
Beyer WN (2000) Hazards to wildlife from soil-borne cadmium reconsidered. J Environ Qual 29:1380–1384
Brahmia Z, Scheifler R, Crini N, Maas S, Giraudoux P, Benyacoub S (2013) Breeding performance of blue tits (Cyanistes cæruleus ultramarinus) in relation to lead pollution and nest failure rates in rural, intermediate, and urban sites in Algeria. Environ Pollut 174:171–178
Burger J (1994) Heavy metals in avian eggshells: another excretion method. J Toxicol Environ Health 41:207–220
Burger J (1995) A risk assessment for lead in birds. J Toxicol Environ Health 45:369–396
Castro I, Aboal JR, Fernandez JZ, Carballeira A (2011) Use of raptors for biomonitoring of heavy metals: gender, age and tissue selection. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 86:347–351
Choi C-Y, Nam H-Y, Lee W-S (2007) Diets and foraging tactics of Eurasian eagle owls (Bubo bubo) in two different habitat types. Korean J Envi Eco 21:30–37
Clark AJ, Scheuhammer AM (2003) Lead poisoning in up-land-foraging birds of prey in Canada. Ecotoxicology 12:23–30
Custer TW, Custer CM, Eichhorst BA, David W (2007) Selenium and metal concentrations in waterbird eggs and chicks at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 53:103–109
Custer TW, Golden NH, Rattner BA (2008) Element patterns in feathers of nestling black-crowned night-heron, Nycticorax nycticorax L., from four colonies in Delaware, Maryland, and Minnesota. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 81:147–151
Dauwe T, Janssens E, Kempenaers B, Eens M (2004) The effect of heavy metal exposure on egg size, eggshell thickness and the number of spermatozoa in blue tit Parus caerulens eggs. Environ Pollut 129:125–129
Deng H, Zhang Z, Chang C, Wang Y (2007) Trace metal concentration in Great Tit (Parus major) and Greenfinch (Carduelis sinica) at the western mountains of Beijing, China. Environ Pollut 148:620–626
Eens M, Pinxten R, Verheyen RF, Blust R, Bervoets L (1999) Great and blue tits as indicators of heavy metal contamination in terrestrial ecosystems. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 44:81–85
Ek KH, Morrison GM, Lindberg P, Rauch S (2004) Comparative tissue distribution of metals in birds in Sweden using ICP-MS and laser ablation ICP-MS. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 47:259–269
Espín S, Martínez-López E, Jiménez P, María-Mojica P, García-Fernández AJ (2014) Effects of heavy metals on biomarkers for oxidative stress in Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus). Environ Res 129:59–68
Franson JC (1996) Interpretation of tissue lead residues in birds other than waterfowl. In: Beyer WN, Heinz GH, Redmon-Norwood AW (eds) Environmental contaminants in wildlife, interpreting tissue concentrations. CRC Press Lewis Pub, New York, pp 265–279
Franson JC, Lahner LL, Meteyer CU, Rattner BA (2012) Copper pellets simulating oral exposure to copper ammunition: absence of toxicity in American Kestrels (Falco sparverius). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 62:145–153
Hofer C, Gallagher FJ, Holzapfel C (2010) Metal accumulation and performance of nestlings of passerine bird species at an urban brownfield site. Environ Pollut 158:1207–1213
Horai S, Watanabe I, Takada H, Iwamizu Y, Hayashi T, Tanabe S, Kuno K (2007) Trace element accumulations in 13 avian species collected from the Kanto area, Japan. Sci Total Environ 373:512–525
Kalisińska E, Salicki W, Jackowski A (2006) Six trace metals in white-tailed eagle from northwestern Poland. Pol J Environ Stud 15:727–737
Kang S-G, Hur W-H, Lee I-S (2012) Seasonal prey selection and behavior characteristics of common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) in suburban area in Busan Korea. Korean J Orni 19:53–63
Kim J, Koo T-H (2007) Heavy metal concentrations in diet and livers of Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax and Grey Heron Ardea cinerea chicks from Pyeongtaek, Korea. Ecotoxicology 16:411–416
Kim J, Oh J-M (2012) Metal levels in livers of waterfowl from Korea. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 78:162–169
Kim J, Oh J-M (2015) Tissue distribution of heavy metals in heron and egret chicks from Pyeongtaek, Korea. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 68:283–291
Kim J, Lee H, Koo T-H (2008) Heavy-metal concentrations in three owl species from Korea. Ecotoxicology 17:21–28
Kim J, Lee H-S, Koo T-H (2009a) Heavy metal concentrations in three shorebird species from Okgu Mudflat, Gunsan, Korea. Ecotoxicology 19:61–68
Kim J, Shin J-R, Koo T-H (2009b) Heavy metal distributions of some wild birds from Korea. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 56:317–324
Kwok CK, Liang Y, Wang H, Dong YH, Leung SY, Wong MH (2014) Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in fish and Ardeid at Pearl River Estuary, China. Ecotoxicol Environ Safety 106:62–67
Lepp NW, Dickinson NM (1994) Fungicide-derived copper in tropical plantation crops. In: Ross SM (ed) Toxic metals in soil-plant systems. Wiley, Worchester, pp 367–393
Malik RN, Zeb N (2009) Assessment of environmental contamination using feathers of Bubulcus ibis L., as a biomonitor of heavy metal pollution, Pakistan. Ecotoxicology 18:522–536
Martin PA, Campbell D, Hughes K, McDaniel T (2008) Lead in the tissues of terrestrial raptors in southern Ontario, Canada, 1995-2001. Sci Total Environ 391:96–103
Nam D-H, Lee D-P (2009) Abnormal lead exposure in globally threatened Cinereous vultures (Aegypius monachus) wintering in South Korea. Ecotoxicology 18:225–229
NIBR (National Institute of Biological Resources) (2012) Red data book of endangered birds in Korea
Pain DJ, Sears J, Newton I (1995) Lead concentrations in birds of prey in Britain. Environ Pollut 87:173–180
Pérez-López M, de Mendoza MH, Beceiro AL, Rodíguez FS (2008) Heavy metal (Cd, Pb, Zn) and metalloid (As) content in raptor species from Galicia (NW Spain). Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 70:154–162
Saeki K, Okabe Y, Kim E-Y, Tanabe S, Fukuda M (2000) Mercury and cadmium in common cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo). Environ Pollut 108:249–255
Scheuhammer AM (1987) The chronic toxicity aluminium, cadmium, mercury and lead in birds: a review. Environ Pollut 46:263–295
Shukla GS, Singhal RL (1984) The present status of biological effects of toxic metals in the environment: lead, cadmium, and manganese. Can J Pharmacol 62:1015–1031
Sileo L, Beyer WN, Mateo R (2003) Pancreatitis in wild zinc poisoned waterfowl. Avian Pathol 32:655–660
Stoica A, Katzenellenbogen BS, Martin MB (2000) Activation of estrogen receptor-α by the heavy metal cadmium. Mol Endocrinol 14:545–553
Tiller B, Marco JD, Rickard WH (2005) Metal concentrations, foraging distances, and fledging success of Great Blue Herons nesting along Hanford Reach of the Columbia River. Environ Monit Assess 104:71–79
Zaccaroni A, Amorena M, Naso B, Castellani G, Lucisano A, Stracciari GL (2003) Cadmium, chromium and lead contamination of Athene noctua, the little owl, of Bologna and Parma, Italy. Chemosphere 52:1251–1258
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Thomas W. Custer (USGS) for a critical reading and comments of the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kim, J., Oh, JM. Assessment of Trace Element Concentrations in Birds of Prey in Korea. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 71, 26–34 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-015-0247-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-015-0247-3