Lead shot ingestion by waterbirds in the Camargue, France: An investigation of levels and interspecific differences

Abstract

Between January 1988 and February 1989, gizzards were collected from 1155 birds from the groups; Anatidae, Charadriidae, Scolopacidae and Rallidae, shot in the Camargue, and examined for the presence of ingested lead shot. Shot was found in nine out of ten Anatidae species, three of 15 Scolopacidae species and all of three Rallidae species. Twenty-seven per cent of Anatidae sampled had ingested shot, 13·8% had one shot present and 6·3% had more than five. Shot ingestion levels ranged from 3–60% of birds examined according to species. The incidence of shot ingestion did not appear to vary seasonally. In Anatidae, a strong interspecific relationship was found between the grit size ingested and susceptibility to ingest shot ( r = 0·94). In Scolopacidae, shot ingestion may have been related to grit size ingested, feeding method and bill length. The levels of shot ingestion presented are for most species higher than have been reported elsewhere in the world. This may result from the absence of grit and presence of high shot densities in Camargue marshes.