Lead poisoning in the globally threatened marbled teal and white-headed duck in spain

Marbled teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) and white-headed duck (Oxyura le ucocephala) are the two European ducks threatened with global extinction. W e investigated lead (Pb) poisoning in stifftails (Oxyura spp., n = 83) and marbled teal (n = 80) shot or found dead or moribund in Spanish wetlands vi a gizzard examination and liver, bone, and blood Pb analysis. Ingested Pb s hot was present in 32% of shot stifftails and 70 and 43% of dead or moribun d stifftails and marbled teal, respectively. Lead-shot ingestion was more f requent in Valencia (eastern Spain), where Pb-shot densities were higher an d grit scarcer. Selection of larger grit similar in size to Pb shot may exp lain the higher rate of Pb-shot ingestion observed in stifftails. Ingested shot was found more frequently in juvenile stifftails than in adults. Lead bone concentrations were higher in ducklings <9 d old than in fully grown t eal and were also higher in adult than in juvenile teal. Our results show t he need for a ban of Pb shot for waterfowl hunting in Spain and the cleanup of spent shot at major wetlands.