Toxic metal present in both blood and eggshell samples, but the New Zealand birds appear to have formed a tolerance for it
But the urban environment carries risks – such as paint containing lead – and researchers are starting to take more notice of the presence of lead within avian populations as birds repopulate cities.
Researchers at Massey University sampled 139 kākā chicks at Zealandia over two seasons between 2015 and 2017 for the presence of lead in their blood. The findings are to be published in the next edition of theThe study detected lead in more than a third of the chicks, and concluded that the toxin had either been passed down through food via the parent, or that the chicks had absorbed it through their eggshells, where it was also detected.
Detecting lead in the eggshell was particularly concerning, Sriram said. “Exposure to lead during really critical periods of neuro-development … can actually result in long term cognitive and neurological deficits.” That has led the researchers to believe that – at least in the short term – the chicks, or species, had built up an innate tolerance to lead.
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