Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the concentration of metals, namely cadmium, lead, cobalt and copper, in the feathers of chukar (Alectoris chukar), see–see partridge (Ammoperdix griseogularis) and rock dove (Columba livia) in order to: examine the species, gender and age related variations in trace metal accumulation, and identify any relationships between species. Bird samples were collected in February 2012 from the Hormod protected area, southern Iran and the concentration of metals were measured using a Shimadzu AA 660 flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The concentrations in all three species were copper > lead > cadmium > cobalt. The average cadmium concentrations were 2.0, 1.9, and 1.9 μg/g for A. chukar, A. griseogularis, and C. livia, respectively. The average lead concentrations were 8.0, 5.4, and 7.7 μg/g for A. chukar, A. griseogularis, and C. livia, respectively. The results showed that in all three species, the highest metal concentrations were observed in female/adult birds and the lowest concentrations were found in female/juvenile birds (except lead in A. chukar and copper in C. livia).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Almansour MI (2007) Inter-species differences between lead concentration in the feathers of Pycnonotus leucogenys and Streptopelia seneglenses from different cities of Saudi Arabia. Inter J Zool Res 3:200–206
Barbieri E, Andrade Passos ED, Filippini A, Souza dos Santos I, Borges Garcia CA (2009) Assessment of trace metal concentration in feathers of seabird (Larus dominicanus) sampled in the Florianópolis, SC, Brazilian coast. Environ Monit Assess. doi:10.1007/s10661-009-1202-4
Battaglia A, Ghidini S, Campanini G, Spaggiari R (2005) Heavy metal contamination in little owl (Athene noctua) and common buzzard (Buteo buteo) from northern Italy. Ecotoxicol Environ Safe 60:61–66
Breteler RJ (1984) Chemical pollution of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary. NOAA Tech Memo NOS/OMA 7
Bryan GW, Langston WJ (1992) Bioavailability, accumulation and effects of heavy metals in sediments with special reference to United Kingdom estuaries: a review. Environ Pollut 76:89–131
Burger J (1993) Metals in avian feathers: bioindicators of environmental pollution. Rev Environ Toxicol 5:203–311
Burger J (1994) Metals in avian feathers: bioindicators of environmental pollution. Rev Environ Toxicol 5:203–311
Burger J (1995) Heavy metals and selenium in feathers of Herring gulls (Larus argentatus): differences due to year, gender, and age at Captree, Long Island. Environ Monit Assess 38:37–50
Burger J, Gochfeld M (2000) Metals in Laysan Albatrosses from Midway Atoll. Arch Environ Contamin Toxicol 38:254–259
Costa RA, Petronilho JMS, Soares AMVM, Vingada JV (2011) The use of passerine feathers to evaluate heavy metal pollution in central Portugal. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 86:352–356
Custer TW, Mulhern BL (1983) Heavy metal residues in prefledging Black-crowned Night Herons from three Atlantic coast colonies. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 30:178–185
Dauwe T, Bervoetts L, Blust R, Eens M (2002a) Tissue levels of lead in experimentally dosed zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) with particular attention on the use of feathers as biomonitors. Arch Environ Contamin Toxicol 42:88–92
Dauwe T, Bervoetts L, Ellen J, Rianne P, Blust R, Eens M (2002b) Great and blue tit feathers as biomonitors for heavy metal pollution. Ecol Indica 1:227–234
Furness RW, Monaghan P (1987) Seabird ecology. Chapman & Hall, New York, p 164
Goede AA, de Voogt P (1985) Lead and cadmium in waders from the Dutch Wadden Sea. Environ Pollut 37:311–322
Hindell MA, Brothers N, Gales R (1999) Mercury and cadmium concentrations in the tissues of three species of southern albatrosses. Polar Biol 22:102–108
Hoff Brait CH, Antoniosi Filho NR (2011) Use of feathers of feral pigeons (Columba livia) as a technique for metal quantification and environmental monitoring. Environ Monit Assess. doi:10.1007/s10661-010-1748-1
Hutton M (1981) Accumulation of heavy metals and selenium in three seabird species from the United Kingdom. Environ Pollut 26:129–145
Janiga M, Zemberyová M (1998) Lead concentration in the bones of the feral pigeons (Columba livia): sources of variation relating to body condition and death. Arch Environ Contamin Toxicol. doi:10.1007/s002449900351
Kim J, Koo TH (2007) The use of feathers to monitor heavy metal contamination in herons, Korea. Arch Environ Contamin Toxicol 53:435–441
Kim J, Koo TH (2008) Heavy metal concentration in feathers of Korean shorebirds. Arch Environ Contamin Toxicol 55:122–128
Lakshmanan R, Kesavan K, Vijayanand P, Rajaram V, Rajagopal S (2009) Heavy metals accumulation in five commercially important fishes of Parangipettai, Southeast Coast of India. Advan J Food Sci Technol 1:63–65
Llacuna S, Gorriz A, Sanperra C, Nadal J (1995) Metal accumulation in three species of passerine birds (Emberiza cia, Parus major, and Turdus merula) subjected to air pollution from a coal-fired power plant. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 28:298–303
Mansouri B, Pourkhabbaz A, Babaei H, Houshyari E (2011) Heavy metal contamination in feathers of Western Reef Heron (Egretta gularis) and Siberian gull (Larus heuglini) from Hara biosphere reserve of Southern Iran. Environ Monit Assess. doi:10.1007/s10661-011-2408-9
Mansouri B, Pourkhabbaz A, Babaei H, Hoshyari E, Khodaparast SH, Mirzajani A (2012) Assessment of trace metal concentration in Western Reef Heron (Egretta gularis) and Siberian gull (Larus heuglini) from southern Iran. Arch Environ Contamin Toxicol 63:280–287
Nam DH, Lee DP, Koo TH (2004) Monitoring for lead pollution using feathers of Feral pigeons (Columba livia) from Korea. Environ Monit Assess. doi:10.1023/B:EMAS.0000029898.28393.30
Newbury TK (1979) Possible accumulation of heavy metals around offshore oil production facilities in the Beaufort Sea. Arctic 32:42–45
Roginski EE, Mertz W (1977) A biphasic response of rats to cobalt. J Nutrit 107:1537–1542
Schmitt-Jansen M, Veit U, Dudel G, Altenburger R (2008) An ecological perspective in aquatic ecotoxicology: approaches and challenges. Basic Appl Ecol 9:337–345
Spahn SA, Sherry TW (1999) Cadmium and lead exposure associated with reduced growth rates, poorer fledging success of Little Blue Heron chicks (Egretta caerulea). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 37:377–384
Tom D, Bervoets L, Blust R, Pinxten R, Eens M (1999) Are eggshell and egg contents of great and blue tits suitable as indicators of heavy metal pollution? Belgian J Zool 129:439–447
Zamani-Ahmadmahmoodi R, Esmaili-Sari A, Savabieasfahani M, Ghasempouri SM (2009) Mercury in wetland birds of Iran and Iraq: contrasting resident Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus, and migratory common Teal, Anas crecca, life strategies. Bull Environ Contamin Toxicol 82:450–453
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Norouzi, M., Mansouri, B., Hamidian, A.H. et al. Comparison of the Metal Concentrations in the Feathers of Three Bird Species from Southern Iran. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 89, 1082–1086 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-012-0798-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-012-0798-1