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Use of grit supplements by waterbirds: an experimental assessment of strategies to reduce lead poisoning

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Abstract

The ingestion of spent Pb shot due to confusion with grit or inadvertently with food particles causes Pb poisoning in a large number of waterbirds, this being one of the main causes of mortality for some species. Lead ammunition for hunting is being progressively banned in more countries, while grit supplementation has been proposed as a management measure to reduce the ingestion of deposited Pb shot. Studies of grit selection with waterfowl in semi-captivity and in the wild were undertaken to evaluate preferences in the colour and geochemical composition of grit, whether it was available dry or in water, its position within the wetland and the relationship between grit ingestion and feeding behaviour. Grit ingestion was higher when food was included in the treatments. In the absence of food, red grit was taken in higher amounts than grey in semi-captivity but not in the wild. Siliceous grit was taken in a higher amount than calcareous when offered dry, but not in water. No differences in the amount of ingested grit were found among different positions within the wetland. The number of feeding attempts in plots supplemented with grit was higher than in those without grit, although the highest numbers of feeding birds were found in plots supplemented with food. Grit ingestion in waterfowl is intimately associated with feeding behaviour. To optimize the effectiveness of grit supplementation to reduce the risk of Pb poisoning in waterfowl, calcareous and siliceous grit may be combined and applied in feeding sites or mixed with bait to attract birds.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to P. Rodríguez and M. Adrián for their permission for and assistance with the work in semi-captivity. H. Rodríguez-Pérez helped in the design of the experimental containers. We wish to thank E. Márquez, L. Monsalve, G. Taberner, P. Delgado and many others for helping both during the laboratory and field work. This work was supported by a project funded by the Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía. P. Acevedo is funded by a Juan de la Cierva research contract awarded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación—Fondo Social Europeo. This study was also funded by MICINN (under CGL2007-62797). We also thank two anonymous referees for their comments that improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain

    Monica Martinez-Haro & Rafael Mateo

  2. Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD (CSIC), Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Sevilla, Spain

    Monica Martinez-Haro & Andy J. Green

  3. Biogeography, Diversity, and Conservation Research Team, Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Málaga, 29071, Málaga, Spain

    Pelayo Acevedo

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  1. Monica Martinez-Haro
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  2. Andy J. Green
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  3. Pelayo Acevedo
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  4. Rafael Mateo
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Correspondence to Rafael Mateo.

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Communicated by C. Gortázar

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Martinez-Haro, M., Green, A.J., Acevedo, P. et al. Use of grit supplements by waterbirds: an experimental assessment of strategies to reduce lead poisoning. Eur J Wildl Res 57, 475–484 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-010-0456-z

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