Experimental Lead Pellet Ingestion In Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Because the relationship between lead pellet availability and ingestion by mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) remains uncertain, we conducted an experiment to determine if doves held in captivity freely ingest lead shotgun pellets, investigate the relationship between pellet density and ingestion and monitor physiological impacts of doves ingesting pellets. We conducted two trials of the experiment with <60 doves per trial. We randomly assigned 10 doves to one of six groups per trial; 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 pellets mixed with food and a control group with no pellets. We monitored ingestion by examining x-rays of doves 1-d post-treatment and monitored the effects of lead ingestion by measuring heterophil∶lymphocyte (H∶L) ratios, packed-cell volume (PCV), blood lead, liver lead and kidney lead. Pooled data from both trials showed 6 of 117 (5.1%) doves ingested lead pellets. Two mourning doves ingested multiple lead pellets in each of the treatments containing a mixture of 25, 100 and 200 lead pellets ...