Lead Poisoning in Birds

How and Why Birds Die from Lead Poisoning

Mar 14, 2007 Rosemary Drisdelle

Lead poisoning is common in birds - most affected birds die. People accidentally contaminate the environment with lead.

Symptoms of lead poisoning in birds

A Canada Goose huddles at the lake’s edge. It is weak and listless and has been eating poorly for days. Its wings droop when it attempts to walk, it is uncoordinated, and it cannot fly. It suffers from vomiting and watery diarrhea. As time passes, the goose grows progressively weaker until it cannot move. Blind and helpless, it suffers from seizures and eventually dies.

An autopsy of this unfortunate bird reveals several weathered pieces of lead in the gizzard, the debris of hunters and fishers. The lead has been slowly eroding in the acid environment of the gizzard, gradually releasing the toxic metal into the bird’s bloodstream. The damage has been slow and deadly.

Lead and wild birds

Fishing weights and lead shot were traditionally made of lead. Although nontoxic alternatives are becoming more common, pieces of lead litter forests, wetlands and waterways all over the world, making lead poisoning one of the most common causes of toxicity in birds. Lead is a particular danger to waterfowl who accidentally swallow pieces while feeding and retain them in the gizzard; ground feeding birds also fall victim occasionally and birds of prey ingest lead when they prey on smaller birds and animals that are contaminated.

Mining and other industries are other sources of lead in the environment. While some of the largest sources of lead pollution – leaded gasoline and lead in paint – have been phased out, lead continues to be mined, processed and transported. Recently, accidental and undetected release of a lead compound during shipping has been suggested as the possible cause of an extensive die-off of wild birds in Esperance, Australia. Such incidents remind us that the fates of birds can be a mirror of human fortunes: lead that is killing birds may be poisoning people and other animals as well. We need to pay close attention.

Lead poisoning in pet birds

Pet birds suffering from lead toxicity are the most likely victims to survive the event because their illness will usually be noticed in its early stages and, with proper diagnosis, treatment can be started before it is too late. The lead must first be removed from the bird, and then a compound can be given to mop up the lead in the bird’s system and eliminate it from the body.

Recovery also depends on finding the source of lead in the bird’s environment and eliminating it. Common sources of lead in the home include, solder, putty, welding, batteries, leaded glass, ink, old paint, lead weights, old ceramic glaze, hunting gear, and fishing tackle.

Other diseases of birds:

Birds and Trichomonas gallinae

Type E Botulism and Birds

Birds and Newcastle Disease

Newcastle Disease and Amazon Parrots

Sources for this article:

Department of Natural Resources: Michigan. “Lead Poisoning.”

Hoefer, Heidi L. “Lead Poisoning in Birds.” Island Exotic Veterinary Care. New York.

The copyright of the article Lead Poisoning in Birds in Birds is owned by Rosemary Drisdelle. Permission to republish Lead Poisoning in Birds in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.