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Conservation Value of Feathers

This article explores the different ways feathers can be used as indicators of environmental health and pollution levels. It discusses how feathers can assess the presence of pollutants in sea eagles and metals in urban settings, as well as their correlation with reproduction and survival. The article also discusses the use of ptilochronology, a method of studying feather growth bars, as a conservation tool.

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Conservation Value of Feathers

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  1. Conservation Value of Feathers As a hammer (1886 George Bird Grinnell and Women against plume hunters) Molting demands conservation of stopover sites Feathers as indicators of ecosystem health

  2. Feathers Assess Organochloride Pollutants in White-tailed Sea Eagles (photo.net) (Jaspers et al. 2011)

  3. PCBs, DDE, BDEs Body Feathers work well as assay tools

  4. Conclusions • Different concentrations of substances were affected by pattern of molt, so need to know how long a feather has been exposed to environment and preening

  5. Pigeon Feathers Assess Metals in Urban Settings Brazil Adsorbed from environment (Lead, Chromium, Cadmium) or from food (Copper, Iron, Manganese, Zinc) (Henrique et al. 2011)

  6. High Concentration of Metals in Urban Sites Relative to Less Urban Sites

  7. Ptilochronology • Feathers grow during day and night • During day as bird eat more pigment is deposited in growing feather and a dark bar results • During night as birds roost less pigment is deposited resulting in a lighter bar • Alternating light and dark bars represent a 24 hour period of feather growth—wider bar indicates better nutrition as the feather grows more in 24hours

  8. Correlate with Reproduction and Survival Styan’s Grasshopper Warbler (Takaki et al. 2001)

  9. Extreme “Fault Bars” • Low nutrition, poor habitat, indicators of environmental stress

  10. References • Jaspers, V.L.B. et al. 2011. Body feathers as a potential new biomonitoring tool in raptors: A study on organohalogenated contaminants in different feather types and preen oil of West Greenland white-tailed eagles. Environment International 37:1349-1356. • Brait, C. H. H. and Filho, N. R. A. 2011. Use of feathers of feral pigeons as a technique for metal quantification and environmental monitoring. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 179:457-467. • Harmata, A. R. 2011. Environmental contaminants in tissues of Bald Eagles sampled in southwestern Montana, 2006-2008. Journal of Raptor Research 45:119-135. • Clarkson, C.E. 2011. Applicability of ptilochronology as a conservation tool in waterbird studies. Ecological Indicators 11:1707-1709. • Grubb, T. C. Jr. 1989. Ptilochronology: feather growth bars as indicators of nutritional status. Auk 106:314-320.

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