Biological monitoring of exposure to ambient lead and cadmium using avian feathers: A study from Northern India

Biological monitoring of exposure to ambient environmental lead and cadmium was performed using feathers of 26 species of birds native to Western Uttar Pradesh in Northern India. The rationale of this study was to address three questions. First, is there any avian species that can be treated as a suitable bioindicator of lead or cadmium present in the environment? Second, do the birds selectively accumulate lead and cadmium in their feathers and exhibit interspecies variation? Third, is there any threat to endangered species of this region from metal pollution? Average concentration of lead in the feathers of selected birds ranged from 3.40 µg/g in parrot to 301.6 µg/g in golden pheasant, whereas cadmium concentration was higher ranging from 40.20 µg/g in red crow to 450 µg/g in blue macaw. A comparison of results made through ANOVA revealed a significant difference in the concentration of lead (df = 25; F = 3965.54) and cadmium (df = 25; F = 8537.27) in their feathers. We hypothesize that feathers of synanthropic birds may be treated as suitable noninvasive tool to monitor the ambient environmental contamination by lead and cadmium. Their accumulation in endangered birds may lead to population decline causing serious ecological disturbances in the region.