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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