Eagle Feathers Research Articles

Mercury in the feathers of Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) from Western Carpathian, Slovakia

In this study, mercury (Hg) concentrations were detected in feathers of golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), a bird that typically inhabits alpine and forest areas. The mercury rates in feathers were compared in two groups of eagles: first, estimated home range (breeding, hunting, etc.) was located only in forest and lowland meadow habitats; second, the home range also included alpine habitats—rocks and meadows. Consequently, mercury concentration based on the feather typology were observed and the mercury levels in feathers were also compared among different Slovak Western Carpathian districts. It was found that there was no significant difference between groups classified by elevation level, which we attribute to the fact that eagle hunting territories are broad, so that alpine-dwelling and forest-dwelling eagles do not only reflect the pollution of the environments they typically inhabit. Non-significant differences were found also within different feather types, which means that the type of feather is not crucial for tracking mercury in eagle feathers. As the measurement of feather appears to be a simple and non-invasive method, the detection of non-significant differences in diverse types of golden eagle feathers provides useful knowledge for the future environment monitoring. The average mercury concentration measured in eagle samples was lower than the mercury concentration causing health complications among birds of prey. Our assumption that due to past mining activity in the Spiš region, the highest concentration in this region would be observed was confirmed.

Spatiotemporal Trends of Anthropogenic and Naturally Occurring Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Long-Term White-Tailed Eagle Feather Collections

Spatiotemporal Trends of Anthropogenic and Naturally Occurring Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Long-Term White-Tailed Eagle Feather Collections

Identification of the Greater Spotted Eagle Clanga clanga, Lesser Spotted Eagle Clanga pomarina and interspecific hybrids using the morphology of shed flight feathers

ABSTRACT Capsule Shed feathers can be used for the field identification of the Greater Spotted Eagle Clanga clanga and Lesser Spotted Eagle Clanga pomarina, but identification of hybrids is problematic. Aims To provide an easy method for distinguishing the shed flight feathers of the Greater Spotted Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, and their hybrids. Methods We examined seven morphological characteristics and developed multinomial logistic regression models to aid in identification of feathers. Results The most informative feature was the relative feather length. Barring improved the identification of tail feathers, secondaries, and proximal primaries. Feathers of Lesser Spotted Eagles were significantly shorter and more barred than those of Greater Spotted Eagles. Feathers of hybrids were also highly barred but had an intermediate length. The length from the tip to notch, width of the notch, and specific colouration patterns were also included in the best models for specific feather types. The combination of these characteristics resulted in identification accuracies of 89–97% for Lesser Spotted Eagle feathers and 80–100% for Greater Spotted Eagle feathers. However, all F1-hybrids were incorrectly identified as Greater Spotted or Lesser Spotted Eagles. Conclusion Shed feathers could have potential for the non-invasive field identification of spotted eagle species at nest sites. However, the identification of hybrids based on feathers is difficult due to substantial morphological variation and overlap with parent species.

Morphometrics as a Tool for the Species Identification of North American Bald and Golden Eagle Primary Feathers

ABSTRACT Eagle feathers are among the most commonly trafficked items in the illegal wildlife trade in the United States. Although the tail and secondary wing feathers of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) generally exhibit identifiable patterns by which the species of origin can be determined, there is a lack of data allowing for the morphological identification of the commonly encountered, unpatterned outer primary wing feathers. To test if the shape of the primary feathers differed between the two species, I measured the notch and emargination heights of the outer five primaries (P10–P6) from specimens at the National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory collection and the National Eagle Repository. Although there was some overlap in lengths of the feather emargination and notch heights of both species, the results demonstrate that measurements of the outermost primaries do allow for the identification of many loose feathers. Overall, Golden Eagle feathers exhibit longer emarginations and notch heights than those of the Bald Eagle. These results will be valuable for law enforcement officials, ornithologists, and anthropologists studying the remains of North American eagles.

Flying from the Utmost Parts of the Earth: The Long Now of the Indigenous Eighteenth Century

Flying from the Utmost Parts of the Earth:The Long Now of the Indigenous Eighteenth Century Coll Thrush (bio) In the summer of 1733, a group of Yamacraw people stood high on a bluff over a river that would soon be renamed the Savannah, in a place some would soon call Georgia. They watched as a group of newcomers arrived from the sea, and in short order danced for the strangers, offering them sacred White Drink and shaking rods covered with bells. They stroked the bodies of the newcomers with eagle-feather fans, simultaneously welcoming the foreigners and reminding them whose territory they were visiting. The view out from that bluff, then, both took in a new world in the making and asserted a world that already existed. One of the Yamacraw leaders, a man named Tomochichi, would describe the British as having flown "from the utmost parts of the earth."1 On that occasion, the Yamacraw brought eagle feathers with them to be presented to their British counterparts as an expression of goodwill, curiosity, and Yamacraw sovereignty. In a painting made of their visit to the trustees of the nascent colony of Georgia, an eagle stands in one corner, symbolizing the ways in which the Yamacraw had also flown from seemingly utmost corners to the so-called center of empire. These two peoples, these two rivers, and these two views were caught up in a suturing story, of worlds already under way coming together anew, of places becoming entangled with each other—for better and for worse.2 [End Page 163] The eighteenth century, as Peter B. Villella reminds us in his piece in this special issue, was an inflection point in the history of colonialism and globalization. Competing empires and enlightenments, the ascendancy of mercantile and other forms of capitalism, and the metastasis of intercontinental wars were hinges between the radically different worlds of the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries; indeed, much that we now frame as modern took form in the long eighteenth century. That Indigenous peoples were at the center of this story is no longer in question. While in the past many historians and others portrayed Indigenous peoples as passive recipients of these changes—if they portrayed them at all—we now know that Indigenous people, territories, ideas, and cultural belongings transformed the "old world" as much as the "new world" was changed through the presence of Europeans, Africans, and others. As historian Michael Witgen has argued, these worldings were imbricated and multidirectional, an "infinity of nations" coming into view as they collided, coalesced, and in some cases collapsed.3 At the heart of this story is movement. Like the Georgian colonists' visit to Yamacraw territory, or the mirroring journey of Tomochichi and his compatriots to London, the flight of people, things, and, we might even say, places across the Atlantic and other spaces in the eighteenth century rock and capsize notions of easily-bounded territories and identities. This mobility could be seen not only in the journeys made by humans, but also in the peregrinations of the other-than-human. As essays in this issue illustrate, items as quotidian as iron nails (in 'Ilaheva Tua'one's contribution) or as puissant as alder bird-rattles (in Julia Lum's) were travelers in their own right. And as other scholars have shown, non-human presences such as tobacco and chocolate began their worlding voyages as sacred beings and became transformational commodities in the economic and cultural cauldron of European colonialism.4 Symbols also migrated across these maritime networks, whether in the form of the Catholic saints in Indigenous homes about which Caterina Pizzigoni writes, notions about oppositional "Indians" that are the subject of Matt Bahar's essay, or in the Miwok, Kodiak, and other names people took or were given in the account shared by Jeff Glover. Whether in the development of scientific knowledge in the Atlantic world or in the maritime fur trades of the Pacific coast of North America, a place Alan Gallay takes us in his recounting of a captivity among the Nuu-chah-nulth, Indigenous practices and ways of knowing were fundamental to the creation of the world we now call modern...

The development of multiplex STR panels for the identification of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos)

The ability to reliably genotype individual bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) samples has proven to be a valuable forensic tool for investigations of illegal trafficking of eagle feathers and body parts. Twenty STR loci were assembled into three optimized multiplex STR panels. The three STR multiplex PCRs include loci ranging from dinucleotide to pentanucleotide motifs, and both monomorphic and polymorphic amplification. The number of alleles for bald eagles ranged 1–5 (14 polymorphic loci), and the number of alleles for golden eagles ranged from 1 to 11 (16 polymorphic loci). Bald and golden eagles shared alleles at 5 loci, the other 15 loci yielding alleles characteristic of each species. These multiplex panels will be useful in wildlife law enforcement investigations in which eagle feathers and body parts can be identified to species and individuals matched to link a crime scene and eagle victim to a suspect.

Birds of Prey as Indicators of the State of the Environment in Urban Areas

Introduction. The white-tailed eagle is a rare, large species of bird of prey. To restore the species, reserve populations are created in zoological institutions. Birds have a fairly high level of metabolism and are sensitive to pollutants, so it is necessary to monitor the environment and evaluate the quantitative intake of chemicals into the animal organism. Purpose. The aim of the study was to study the effect of environmental pollution on the accumulation of heavy metals (zinc, copper, iron, lead, cadmium and arsenic) by white-tailed eagles living in zoological institutions in the cities of Moscow, Ivanovo and Yaroslavl. Materials and Methods. The assessment of the level of metal concentration was carried out using the developed centile scales, which are planned to assess the development factors of paraneoplastic ophthalmopathies. Results. When studying the differences in the accumulation of heavy metals in the feathers of white-tailed eagles, a significant increase in the concentration of cadmium in the rod by 3.64 times was found, which indicates its external intake. In the feathers of males, compared with females, a significant (p < 0.05) increase in the content of Cu by 13.98 times, Zn - by 8.41 times was revealed. In females, a significant increase in the concentration of Cd by 1.60 times, As - by 12.18 times was found. Conclusions. A reliable average direct relationship between the level of Zn and Fe, Cu and Pb, Cd and As was revealed, which indicates the mutual symbation between these metals in the animal body. Between Zn and As defined antagonistic joint accumulation. The average concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd were found in 50% of the specimens of sea eagles, Fe and As in 62.5% of the total number of birds studied. In the studied sample of animals, a tendency to an increase in the accumulation of Fe and As was revealed.

Framing Land Governance Issues in Indigenous and Settler Media within Canada

This comparative study examines how the framing of Indigenous land governance issues—such as resource extraction activities on Indigenous territory and treaty negotiation—in Indigenous media differs from that in corporate news. Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis were applied to 66 news texts published in 2018 in large corporate newspapers, such as the National Post, and small Indigenous news outlets, such as Eagle Feather News. Researchers found that Indigenous media connected land governance issues to contemporary issues, such as racism and control over child welfare, as well as historical colonialism and Indigenous-Settler relations, while corporate news generally excluded any discussion of these contextual factors. While the main news frame in the Indigenous press was Indigenous people were not consulted, the dominant frame in corporate news was Indigenous peoples have already been adequately consulted. Corporate news discourse valorized Indigenous traditional territory solely based on its presumed “economic value.” By contrast, Indigenous publications offered a counternarrative, one that positioned land and the rest of the natural environment as something that has absolute value, and as indivisible from all living things, including people.

Study on preparation and mechanical properties of bionic carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composite with eagle feather structure

Inspired by the effect of angle between feather shaft and the feather vane on strength enhancement of feather structure, carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composites with eagle feather structure were prepared successfully. Based on liquid-phase oxidation, wettability of carbon fiber was improved, which enhanced bonding strength between reinforcement and matrix and built material base for mechanical strength of bionic composite. With the increase of carbon fiber content (0.1 wt.%, 0.2 wt.%, 0.3 wt.% and 0.4 wt.%), tensile strength and impact toughness of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composites increased first and then decreased. Composites with 0.2 wt.% carbon fiber exhibited optimal mechanical properties, which was used for preparation of bionic composite. Compared with carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composite with the traditional vertically arranged structure, the composite material with the bionic structure owned higher tensile strength and impact toughness. The fracture and drawing out of carbon fiber and crack deflection were mechanical mechanism of bionic composite, which provided a new design and preparation method for carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composite.

The Power of the Stone” in P. Bazhov’s Tales

The article discusses "the power of stone” in the tales by P. P. Bazhov on the example of iconic stones of the Ural lytic culture: malachite, emerald, chrysolite. Using the method of cultural-historical, ideological-figurative and symbolic-contextual analysis, the author examines the history of the discovery of the stone riches of the Urals, the place of lytic discourse in the world of Bazhov’s tales, as well as the specific symbolism of gemstones (malachite, copper emerald, chrysolite) in the writer’s fantastic work. This is the relevance of the study. The author of the work proves the ambivalent nature of malachite as the main stone of the Ural mountains, symbolizing the beauty of the Mistress-Malachite, copper emerald, embodying the absolute power of the “stone force”， embodying the secret wealth of the mountains, inaccessible to ordinary mortals, like the secret of the stone flower. The third stone that embodies the lytic power of the Ural Mountains is the Bazhov chrysolite. The article consistently examines the evolution of Bazhov’s “iconic” stones in the writer’s artistic world during the transition from fairy tales depicting the pre-revolutionary life of the Urals to fairy tales depicting the realities of the revolutionary and Soviet Urals. It can be said that by depicting the evolution of the “stone power” of the main Ural gems, Bazhov prepared the ground for depicting the lytic discourse of the tales of the new Urals. In these tales, along with real stones, such as the eagle stone from the tale Eagle feather or “sun stone” - plagioclase from the same tale, mystical and semi - mystical stones will be used: “at all simple, on five faces” stone key of the earth (the fairy tale Key of the Earth, “patient stone” (the fairy tale Distant little body). The article will be of interest to all humanitarians working with the symbolism of stones in Russian literature of the XIX-XX centuries. Keywords: P. P. Bazhov, tales, “power of stone”，malachite, emerald, chrysolite

Detection of Falculifer sp. mites in eagles in rehabilitation cage of Bali Wildlife Rescue Center

Eagle is one of the many raptors were rescued by the Bali Wildlife Rescue Centre. This institution is a non-profit conservation institution in Indonesia. The salvated eagles were obtained from confiscated proceeds from the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Centre (BKSDA). Health checks such as ectoparasite examination on eagles are important to maintain the quality of life. This study was aimed to identify the presence of ectoparasites in several eagle species in Bali Wildlife Rescue Centre/PPS Bali. The study was conducted from June to September 2019. Feather samples were taken from 15 caged eagles, including six Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus), one Changeable Hawk-eagle (Spizaetus cirrhatus), three White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster), one Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus), and four Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela). The eagle feather samples were examined at the Denpasar Veterinary Investigation Center/BBVet for the presence of ectoparasites. This research was an observative study and the data obtained were analysed descriptively. The result showed that eight samples (two Crested Serpent Eagle, two White-bellied Sea Eagle, two Changeable Hawk-eagle, one Brahminy Kite, and one Grey-headed Fish Eagle) were found to be positively infected with mite external parasites from all examined eagles. These mites were identified belong to Arachnid class, the Astigmata order, the Falculiferidae family, and the genus Falculifer sp.

Study on the Interlocking Mechanism of Barbules of an Eagle Feather and the Corresponding Microstructures to Reconstitute Their Integrity

Abstract Birds have impressive flying abilities in part because of the remarkable structural aspects of their feathers. It is also interesting that a feather has the ability to reconstitute its structural integrity in a convenient and effective way. To reveal this mechanism, separating and recovering processes of neighboring barbs were observed after stretching a barb of an Aquila chrysaetos. Thereafter, a three-dimensional model of barbs was proposed herein. A connecting force in range of 0.47 N/mm to 1.26 N/mm between distal barbules and proximal barbules was quantified by an experimental approach that combined an in situ stretching device and a strain sensor.

Ecology of the Golden Eagle in Mongolia, Part 1: Breeding Distribution and Nest-Site Descriptions

During seven expeditions across Mongolia, we found 40 Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) breeding territories with eggs or young. At 20 other locations, we either found old eagle nests with Golden Eagle feathers or saw adult eagles but found no eggs or young. Golden Eagles nested in all but the driest portions of the Gobi Desert and the easternmost grasslands. Nearly all pairs had alternate nests. Of 53 nests used, 60% were on cliff ledges as is typical around the world. However, 19% were on the ground or at other sites that were easily accessible to canid predators, with the most vulnerable nests small and seldom or never reused. The most unusual nests included one atop a conical basalt peak, one on relatively flat ground among tall boulders, four on steep hillsides, one on almost flat ground amid rocky protrusions, and three on cliff tops. Where tall cliffs with many ledges were available, the eagles nested at least 7 m above the ground. Nest construction materials were often unusual and included trash, patches of large mammal hides, paper money, and clothing.

White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) Body Feathers Document Spatiotemporal Trends of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in the Northern Environment

We reconstructed the first long-term (1968-2015) spatiotemporal trends of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) using archived body feathers of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) from the West Greenland (n = 31), Norwegian (n = 66), and Central Swedish Baltic coasts (n = 50). We observed significant temporal trends of perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (∑PFCAs) in all three subpopulations. Concentrations of FOSA and PFOS had started decreasing significantly since the mid-1990s to 2000 in the Greenland and Norwegian subpopulations, consistent with the 3M phase-out, though in sharp contrast to overall increasing trends observed in the Swedish subpopulation. Moreover, ∑PFCA concentrations significantly increased in all three subpopulations throughout the study periods. These temporal trends suggest on-going input of PFOS in the Baltic and of ∑PFCAs in all three regions. Considerable spatial variation in PFAS concentrations and profiles was observed: PFOS concentrations were significantly higher in Sweden, whereas FOSA and ∑PFCA concentrations were similar among the subpopulations. PFOS dominated the PFAS profiles in the Swedish and Norwegian subpopulations, in contrast to the domination of FOSA and ∑PFCAs in the Greenland one. Our spatiotemporal observations underline the usefulness of archived bird of prey feathers in monitoring spatiotemporal PFAS trends and urge for continued monitoring efforts in each of the studied subpopulations.

Relational Identities and Other-Than-Human Agency in Archaeology

Relational Identities and Other-Than-Human Agency in Archaeology

Using an apex predator for large-scale monitoring of trace element contamination: Associations with environmental, anthropogenic and dietary proxies

Understanding the levels and drivers of contamination in top predators is important for their conservation and eventual use as sentinels in environmental monitoring. Therefore, metals and trace elements were analyzed in feathers of Bonelli's eagles (Aquila fasciata) from southern Portugal in 2007–2013, where they are believed to be exposed to a wide range of contamination sources such as agricultural land uses, urban areas, active and abandoned mines and a coal-fired power plant. We focused on concentrations of aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn), as these contaminants are potentially associated with those sources and are known to pose a risk for terrestrial vertebrates. Stable isotope values of nitrogen (δ15N: 15N/14N), carbon (δ13C: 13C/12C) and sulphur (δ34S: 34S/32S) were used as dietary proxies to control for potential effects of prey composition on the contamination pattern. The spatial distribution of potential contamination sources was quantified using geographic information systems. Concentrations of Hg in the southern part of the study area were above a reported toxicity threshold for raptors, particularly in territories closer to a coal-fired power plant at Sines, showing that contamination persisted after a previous assessment conducted in the 1990s. Hg and Se levels were positively correlated with δ15N, which indicates biomagnification. Concentrations of As, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn were generally low and unrelated to mining- or industrial activities, indicating low environmental background concentrations. Al was found at higher concentrations in the southernmost areas of Portugal, but this pattern might be related to external soil contamination on feathers. Overall, this study indicates that, among all elements studied, Hg seems to be the most important contaminant for Bonelli's eagles in southern Portugal, likely due to the power plant emissions and biomagnification of Hg in terrestrial food webs.

Eight Omens before the Destruction of the Empire

Eight Omens before the Destruction of the Empire Willy Palomo (bio) Where Dead Warriors Tell Us of the Illuminati We knew they were brutes when they first saw our temples and grew nervous by its glory, its gold, its gold, its bloodthirsty gold. A decade before the blade drew its thousand grins grim across our chests, years before bellies split wide as the jaws of women in labor and hollered us hollow, we were lords of feather and gold, our gods enflamed, erupting from our veins, the city walking on water like a nation of crooked Christs. Fuck you know bout sacrifice? Our queens punched barbed rope through their tongues and rapped to gods. We mean We built our nation where our god of war and sun took us, a land where the eagle took the serpent writhing in its beak and broke its back, a land where our men were the eagles and everyone else writhing. Before, we couldn't recognize their language, their signs. But now we see them everywhere. Their badges. Their All-Seeing Eyes. Even the spangled stars. it when we say we gave our hearts to el pueblo. After birth, our elders buried our umbilical cords in battlefields, where all heroes are born, donned in eagle feathers and jaguar skin. Who were we to fear fire and foreigner when our monsters demanded our lives on the altar? No, we feared nothing made of blade and blood. What we feared were the pyramids bursting in the sky, larger than the ancient Tlachihualtepetl, the eye at its apex weeping fire as it murdered the stars. It was like a flaming ear of corn, or a fiery signal, or the blaze at daybreak. It seemed to bleed fire, drop by drop, like a wound in the sky. ¿Was it you,0 Xiuhcoatl, atlatl of our god, shot from the sky to smite us? We recognized your slither, your snake of smoke and flame, the raid and ransack to follow. We fear the way they stole a year's worth of night and revealed our secrets, the ways we fucked until we sobbed unwillingly into women's breasts, the way our nightmares became endless as we lost sleep, staring into the pyramids' blind blue eyes, the snakes of light pillaging the sky, burying the night in so much gold we became paupers, begging one another for darkness, the mercy of an eye shut to our squalor. It cut open the sky, without obsidian or flint, and burned the heart of the heavens in front of all to see, our nation, our god. [End Page 129] Where the Flame Speaks hummingbirds ripple like dartsthrough my hair a giant wing brandishing its bladed tips against the jeweled throatof night watch me soar raise my quicksilver skirt to the heavens & leave the city in fevera downpour of river & rainwater at my feet for me to splash & evaporate swallow my ashi dare you reach for my heart i am the nation you sacrifice for your comfort who cooks your foodlicks the floor clean of your dust i am a protest you cannot touch my hands clap & the cityloses a temple i do not believe in non-violence this burning in my belly is all i haveever known in my mouth a thousand burning feathers alight [End Page 130] Where El Pueblo Laments In a rain so humid it hums like a bug woozy with sugar & blood, whistlinginto the corners & pits of the body —it struck, another fire, another god without thunder or bolt, only its red lipsblistering rumors into the veins of night. The street stripped to its soot, eyes sucked black by the sun. This is whatwe all look like beneath our thatched temples & makeshift prayers: gods lost in ahistoric ash,the meanings of our own names forgotten in unyielding bedrock. Now I bow to any greatness willingto cut the hunger out my mouth, who will give me a myth for each misery, a song to soften the sorrow,who knows when to abandon me to my godlessness until I surrender to the gut-glittered altar where bothrain & flame are...

White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) feathers from Norway are suitable for monitoring of legacy, but not emerging contaminants

While feathers have been successfully validated for monitoring of internal concentrations of heavy metals and legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs), less is known about their suitability for monitoring of emerging contaminants (ECs). Our study presents a broad investigation of both legacy POPs and ECs in non-destructive matrices from a bird of prey. Plasma and feathers were sampled in 2015 and 2016 from 70 whitetailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) nestlings from two archipelagos in Norway. Preen oil was also sampled in 2016. Samples were analysed for POPs (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs)) and ECs (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), dechlorane plus (DPs), phosphate and novel brominated flame retardants (PFRs and NBFRs)). A total of nine PCBs, three OCPs, one PBDE and one PFAS were detected in over 50% of the plasma and feather samples within each sampling year and location.Significant and positive correlations were found between plasma, feathers and preen oil concentrations of legacy POPs and confirm the findings of previous research on the usefulness of these matrices for non-destructive monitoring. In contrast, the suitability of feathers for ECs seems to be limited. Detection frequencies (DF) of PFASs were higher in plasma (mean DF: 78%) than in feathers (mean DF: 38%). Only perfluoroundecanoic acid could be quantified in over 50% of both plasma and feather samples, yet their correlation was poor and not significant. The detection frequencies of PFRs, NBFRs and DPs were very low in plasma (mean DF: 1–13%), compared to feathers (mean DF: 10–57%). This may suggest external atmospheric deposition, rapid internal biotransformation or excretion of these compounds. Accordingly, we suggest prioritising plasma for PFASs analyses, while the sources of PFRs, NBFRs and DPs in feathers and plasma need further investigation.

A Cognitive Science Approach to Takings

Takings law determines when governmental action has such an impact on private property that a remedy by way of injunction, damages or forced condemnation is required by Just Compensation clauses in state and federal constitutions. Examples include governmental prohibitions against the filling of wetlands, prohibitions on the sale of eagle feathers and restrictions on modifications of historic structures. Takings doctrine, however, is in serious disarray. Identification of the relevant property for purposes of takings analysis and determining exactly when a taking occurs have long baffled courts and commentators. This article addresses the takings problem by suggesting that we change the discourse. The article suggests that a cognitive science approach to the takings field will result in a reconstruction of the area and allow us to better address the concerns underlying the present doctrinal confusion. Part I describes the field of cognitive science, which seeks to organize knowledge in terms of what we perceive and the way we use cognitive models to learn and re-learn the world around us. The article demonstrates that legal doctrines can be productively viewed as cognitive models. The article then critically analyzes the strengths and shortcomings of viewing legal doctrines in cognitive terms. Part II illustrates the application of the cognitive science approach to the takings area. Since the area has proved particularly intractable under conventional legal analysis, it is an especially useful laboratory in which to test a cognitive science approach. Cognitive analysis reveals that conventional takings doctrine is a captive of the public-private distinction, which posits a domain of private existence completely separate from government. But since property rights gain significance only when enforced by government, use of takings analysis to differentiate a clear boundary between public and private spheres in property law is bound to fail. Cognitive analysis points the way toward alternative formulations of takings analysis that do not suffer from that critical weakness. For example, we can look at property rights in terms of the functions which such rights fulfill. These include the “general use” function, which is integral to self-expression, development, production and survival; the “welfare” function, intended to secure an individual a meaningful life beyond mere survival; the “protection” function, which shields people from exploitation by others; the “allocative” function, which assures people a share of resources sufficient to allow them to participate meaningfully in the political process; and the “sovereignty” function, which confers upon owners the power to influence others through control of the terms under which property will be exchanged. The advantage of cognitive modeling is that the terms of the discussion are transformed into an altogether different form of discourse.

Prospects and pitfalls of using feathers as a temporal archive of stress events and environmental pollutants: a review and case study

Methods to assess environmental pollution and stress responses in birds with scarcely invasive or non-invasive sampling are highly sought after in ecology and conservation. For several years now, feathers have been promoted as non-invasive tools to assess stress physiology and environmental pollution in birds. This has mainly been applied in whole feathers, but more recently also in feather segments. In this study we explored the prospects and pitfalls of feather segment analysis as a means to obtain data retrospectively over an extended time period and with a high temporal resolution. We first provide a literature review focusing on corticosterone and heavy metals measured in feather segments. Second we present a case study in which we simultaneously assessed corticosterone and lead in segments of Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) feathers. By combining a review and case study, we identify four key prospects of feather segment analysis and their respective pitfalls. We conclude that multi-substance feather segment analysis has a high potential, but there is a strong need for its further validation.