The influence of colony habitat and egg components on lead and cadmium concentrations of great egrets and roseate spoonbills in southern Brazil

Birds are important sentinels of environmental contamination due to their well-known response to fluctuations in the concentration of trace elements and foraging preferences. Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are environmental contaminants that can cause lethal or sublethal effects, such as neurological, physiological, and reproductive dysfunction in a range of bird species. Here, we examined Pb and Cd concentrations in eggshells and egg contents of …