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. 2023 Feb 6;13(4):575.
doi: 10.3390/ani13040575.

The Total Mercury Concentration in Organs of Eurasian Magpies (Pica pica) and Common Woodpigeons (Columba palumbus) from the Warsaw Municipal Area

Ewa M Skibniewska  1 , Michał Skibniewski  2
Affiliations

The Total Mercury Concentration in Organs of Eurasian Magpies (Pica pica) and Common Woodpigeons (Columba palumbus) from the Warsaw Municipal Area

Ewa M Skibniewska et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Mercury is a toxic element widely distributed in the natural environment, affecting animals' health. It is released into the environment from both natural and anthropogenic sources. The present study analyzed the mercury concentrations in liver, kidney, heart and muscle tissue in two species of birds from the Warsaw area, which were used as bioindicators of local environmental pollution with this metal. The mercury content in the examined samples was determined using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) utilizing automatic mercury analyzer type AMA 254. The highest mercury content was found in the body of Eurasian magpies, in which it was 0.025; 0.021; 0.006; 0.0037 and 0.029 mg kg-1 of tissue wet weight for kidney, liver, heart, thigh muscles and pectoral muscles, respectively. In the case of common woodpigeons, the content of this metal was significantly lower, amounting to 0.007; 0.005; 0.002; 0.001 and 0.001 mg∙kg-1 wet weight for kidney, liver, heart, thigh muscles and pectoral muscles, respectively. In light of data from the available literature, the values obtained should be considered low, not causing a risk to animal health. The results obtained indicate low environmental exposure to this element.

Keywords: Eurasian magpie; birds; common woodpigeon; kidney; liver; mercury; muscles.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Box-and-whisker plot showing the median values for the mercury concentrations of the organs tested in common woodpigeons of both genders. Box shows 25–75% coefficient, whiskers show minimum and maximum range of non-outliers.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Box-and-whisker plot showing the median values for the mercury concentrations of the organs tested in Eurasian magpies of both genders. Box shows 25–75% coefficient, whiskers show minimum and maximum range of non-outliers.
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