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Mercury Exposure and Effects on Cavity-Nesting Birds from the Carson River, Nevada

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Abstract

Mercury (Hg) concentrations were 15–40 times higher in the eggs and livers of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) and house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) that nested along the Carson River at and below Dayton, Nevada than in the same species above the mining-impacted areas. Hg contamination was mainly the result of processing mills in the 1800s that used Hg to separate gold and silver from ore. The exposure pattern of tree swallows and house wrens along the Carson River was consistent with their trophic status (i.e., lower levels in liver tissue of aquatic insectivores than in piscivorous birds nesting nearby). Even though they are aquatic insectivores, tree swallows and house wrens were exposed to the same amount of Hg as piscivores in the Florida Everglades; this indicated the extreme level of Hg contamination in the Carson River. Only 70–74% of the eggs hatched. This was less than the nationwide average for these two species that generally hatch ≥85% of eggs. Although the sample size was small, Hg might be impacting reproductive end points in cavity-nesting birds from the Carson River. Other trace elements were present at background concentrations.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Jean Murry, Dayton State Park; Jim Prida and Greg Meis, Fort Churchill State Historical Park; Keith Penner, Lahontan State Recreation Area; Gene Empey, Dayton, Nevada, and US Forest Service Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest for allowing us to put nest boxes on their properties. We also thank US Geological Survey, Nevada Water Science Center, Carson City, for logistical support; Sarah Gerould and L. Rod DeWeese, US Geological Survey Contaminants Biology Program for supplemental funding, Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and California Department of Fish and Game for collecting permits, and Stanley N. Wiemeyer and four anonymous reviewers for comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. US Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Rd., La Crosse, WI, 54603, USA

    Christine M. Custer & Thomas W. Custer

  2. Elwood F. Hill, P.O. Box 1615, Gardnerville, NV, 89410, USA

    Elwood F. Hill

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  1. Christine M. Custer
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  2. Thomas W. Custer
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  3. Elwood F. Hill
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Correspondence to Christine M. Custer.

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Custer, C.M., Custer, T.W. & Hill, E.F. Mercury Exposure and Effects on Cavity-Nesting Birds from the Carson River, Nevada. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 52, 129–136 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-006-0103-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-006-0103-6

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