LEAD-POISONING OF SPECTACLED EIDERS (SOMATERIA-FISCHERI) AND OF A COMMON EIDER (SOMATERIA-MOLLISSIMA) IN ALASKA

Lead poisoning was diagnosed in four spectacled elders (Somateria fisc heri) and one common elder (Somateria mollissima) found dead or moribu nd at the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska (USA) in 1992, 1993, and 1994. Ingested lead shot was found in the lower esophagus of one spectacled elder and in the gizzard of the common elder. Lead con centrations in the livers of the spectacled elders were 26 to 38 ppm w et weight, and 52 ppm wet weight in the liver of the common elder. A b lood sample collected from one of the spectacled eiders before it was euthanized had a lead concentration of 8.5 ppm wet weight. This is the first known report of lead poisoning in the spectacled elder, recentl y listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service .