Heavy metal concentration in feathers of Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) nestlings in three coastal breeding colonies in Spain.

The colonial ardeid Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), which is is protected under the European Birds Directive (2009/147/EC), can be a reliable bioindicator of aquatic environmental pollution. Concentrations of the heavy metals Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn in nestling feathers were assessed for three different breeding colonies of Little Egret on the Spanish coast during 2013 (5 individuals in Urdaibai, 10 in Santoña and 26 in Odiel). There were no significant differences in mean tissue residues of Cd, Ni, Pb and Zn between the colonies; however, mean concentration of Hg in Odiel nestlings was approximately three times lower than that of the other colonies, while Cr and Cu were significantly higher. In general, Little Egret nestlings from the three study sites had low levels of most of the measured metals, and thus the breeding populations did not appear to be at risk from heavy metal pollution. Baseline metal concentration in feathers derived from this study and calculated as the 90th percentile values were: 0.02 μg Cd g(−1) dw, 0.42 μg Cr g(−1) dw, 1.63 μg Hg g(−1) dw, 0.40 μg Pb g(−1) dw and 122 μg Zn g(−1) dw. However, mean Cu residues attained relatively high levels (17.6–26.9 μg Cu g(−1) dw) compared with data reported elsewhere, which raises concern and indicates a need for further research.