• Groundbreaking study finds widespread le

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Thu Feb 17 21:30:44 2022
    Groundbreaking study finds widespread lead poisoning in bald and golden
    eagles
    Nearly 50 percent of birds sampled showed evidence of repeated exposure
    to lead

    Date:
    February 17, 2022
    Source:
    US Geological Survey
    Summary:
    A first-of-its-kind, eight-year study has found widespread and
    frequent lead poisoning in North American bald and golden eagles
    impacting both species' populations. Researchers evaluated lead
    exposure in bald and golden eagles from 2010 to 2018.



    FULL STORY ==========================================================================
    A first-of-its-kind, eight-year study has found widespread and frequent
    lead poisoning in North American bald and golden eagles impacting both
    species' populations. The paper, "Demographic Implications of Lead
    Poisoning for Eagles Across North America," was published in the journal Science. Led by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, Conservation Science Global, Inc., and U.S.

    Fish and Wildlife Service, researchers evaluated lead exposure in bald
    and golden eagles from 2010 to 2018.


    ========================================================================== "Studies have shown lethal effects to individual birds, but this new study
    is the first to show population-level consequences from lead poisoning
    to these majestic species at such a wide scale," said Anne Kinsinger,
    USGS Associate Director for Ecosystems.

    These findings are the first to look at bald and golden eagle populations across North America, using samples from?1,210 eagles over 38 U.S. states including Alaska. Poisoning at the levels found in the study is causing population growth rates to slow for bald eagles by 3.8 percent and golden eagles by 0.8 percent annually. Previously, evaluations of lead exposure
    and its impact on eagle populations were only performed in local and
    regional studies. This groundbreaking study documents how lead poisoning inhibits both species' population growth across North America.

    "This is the first study of lead poisoning of wildlife at a nationwide
    scale, and it demonstrates the unseen challenges facing these birds of
    prey. We now know more about how lead in our environment is negatively impacting North America's eagles," said Todd Katzner, USGS wildlife
    biologist and lead USGS author.

    In this study, almost 50 percent of the birds sampled showed evidence
    of repeated exposure to lead. Short-term exposure was more frequent in
    winter months. Both eagle species are scavengers and use dead animals
    as a food source year-round, but particularly rely on them during the
    winter months when live prey is harder to find. Lead poisoning typically
    occurs when an eagle eats lead ammunition fragments lodged inside an
    animal carcass or in gut piles left behind when game is dressed in the
    field. The frequency of chronic lead poisoning found in both species
    increased with age because lead accumulates in bone as eagles are
    repeatedly exposed to the heavy metal throughout their lives.

    "The study's modeling shows that lead reduces the rate of population
    growth for both of these protected species. That is not as impactful
    for bald eagles since this endemic species population is growing at
    10 percent per year across the U.S. In contrast, the golden eagle's
    population is not as stable, and any additional mortality could tip it
    towards a decline," said Brian Millsap, U.S.

    Fish and Wildlife Service National Raptor Coordinator and co-author.

    This study included authors from academia, nonprofits, consulting
    services, industry, state, federal and international agencies. Funding
    was provided by nonprofit foundations and state and federal agencies.

    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by US_Geological_Survey. Note: Content
    may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Related Multimedia:
    * Bald_and_golden_eagles,_some_suffering_from_lead_poisoning ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Vincent A. Slabe, James T. Anderson, Brian A. Millsap, Jeffrey
    L. Cooper,
    Alan R. Harmata, Marco Restani, Ross H. Crandall, Barbara
    Bodenstein, Peter H. Bloom, Travis Booms, John Buchweitz, Renee
    Culver, Kim Dickerson, Robert Domenech, Ernesto Dominguez-Villegas,
    Daniel Driscoll, Brian W. Smith, Michael J. Lockhart, David McRuer,
    Tricia A. Miller, Patricia A. Ortiz, Krysta Rogers, Matt Schwarz,
    Natalie Turley, Brian Woodbridge, Myra E. Finkelstein, Christian
    A. Triana, Christopher R.

    DeSorbo, Todd E. Katzner. Demographic implications of lead poisoning
    for eagles across North America. Science, 2022; 375 (6582): 779 DOI:
    10.1126/ science.abj3068 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220217141324.htm

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