Characterizing Turkey Vulture Migratory Behavior to Understand the Effects of Lead Exposure on Soaring Raptors

Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) are exposed to lead from fragmented ammunition in hunted carrion. Our previous results indicate that Turkey Vultures migrating through California have higher lead concentrations than southern California residents, possibly thanks to the 2019 California ban on lead ammunition for hunting. Lead exposure predicts lower flight altitudes and movement rates in resident Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). We hypothesized a similar effect on Turkey Vultures, potentially exacerbated by the metabolic stress of migration. We tagged, collected blood samples, and placed GPS trackers on three migrant Turkey Vultures. The migrants had blood lead concentrations of 5.6, 6.0, and 10.7 µg/dL. We calculated altitude above ground level with the R statistical software package elevatr. We then used the package SDLfilter to remove speeds judged biologically implausible and points with poor satellite precision. Our preliminary analyses indicate that the individual with the highest blood lead concentration had ~40% lower flight speed compared to the two other migrants. Future developments will include the tagging of additional birds, and the extraction of environmental data to control for the effects of weather and topography on flight behavior. We will determine when Turkey Vultures use orographic and thermal uplift for soaring flight. We will test for cognitive impairment due to lead exposure by analyzing the birds' speed, altitude, direction, and distance traveled. We hope our study will contribute to understanding the behavioral effects of lead exposure on Turkey Vultures and promote additional regulatory actions if deemed appropriate

Hē vivliothēkē kai to vivliographikon ergastērion tēs monēs tōn Stoudiou /

"Hē meletē hautē ... meros tou IV kephalaiou genikōteras ... ergasias mou peri tēs historias kai archaiologias tēs en Kōnstantinoupolei monēs tōn Stoudiou."Includes bibliographical references

Eros, literature and the Veroli Casket

No description supplie

Scriptural citation in Andronikos Kamateros

La citazione biblica come strumento retorico