Autor/a:
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Fraixedas, Sara; Riera, Alba; Barriocanal, Carles; Alorda-Montiel, Irene; Quesada, Javier; Rodellas, Valentí; Garcia-Orellana, Jordi
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Abstract:
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Bird feathers have been widely used as environmental indicators, providing key information on environmental
pollution. However, there is little available information on the adsorption of natural radioactivity in bird feathers
and consequently, its impact on the field of movement ecology is not yet known. This study investigates the
concentration and distribution of 210Pb in wing- and tail-feathers of different bird species with contrasting
migratory strategies, and discusses its potential use as a tracer of age and flight times. Adsorption of 210Pb in bird
feathers is directly related to the interaction of feathers with air, therefore it is hypothesised that the presence of
this radionuclide is proportional to the length of flight times, and is asymmetrically distributed in flight feathers.
Consequently, a significant difference is expected between 210Pb concentrations in feathers of long-distance
migrants when compared to sedentary species. For this purpose, a total of 45 samples from eight individuals
of three bird species with distinct migratory strategies were analysed: a highly aerial and long-distance migratory
species (Common swift Apus apus), and two largely sedentary species widely distributed across Europe (Great tit
Parus major and Tawny owl Strix aluco). Novel findings show that the content of 210Pb in bird feathers of adult
migratory birds is much higher than in sedentary birds or juvenile individuals, demonstrating this naturally
occurring radionuclide can provide information about the contact time between feathers and air. Additionally,
210Pb adsorption was not evenly distributed in bird feathers. The findings provide a new method to trace age and
flight time of birds using 210Pb in feathers, complementing conventional techniques in bird migration studies. |