Lead poisoning threatens many species of raptors, including golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). Much of this lead likely comes from bullet fragments that remain in the carcasses of animals killed by hunters. The likelihood of lead exposure may peak during fall hunting seasons and early winter until carcasses from hunting become scarce. From 2011 to 2018 in western Montana, USA, we captured 91 golden eagles in winter, tested their blood lead levels (BLL), and outfitted a subset of birds (n = 29) with global positioning system [GPS] transmitters. Nearly all golden eagles (94.5%) had elevated BLL (≥10 μg/dL), and 8 of them had BLL above clinical exposure (>60 μg/dL), where they may lose coordination and experience a host of other neurological and physiological disorders. Golden eagles caught late in winter tended to have lower BLL than those caught earlier. At least 69% of the golden eagles equipped with GPS transmitters migrated northward, spending the summer throughout Alaska, USA, and northwestern Canada. Blood lead levels did not differ between migratory and nonmigratory golden eagles. Overall, elevated BLL are widespread among golden eagles throughout winter in western Montana. Promoting nonlead hunting ammunition in areas with high densities of golden eagles will reduce the birds' lead exposure. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.

中文翻译：

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在蒙大拿州捕获的金鹰的广泛铅暴露

铅中毒威胁着许多猛禽，包括金鹰（天鹰座chrysaetos）。这种铅的大部分可能来自子弹碎片，残留在被猎人杀死的动物尸体中。在秋季狩猎季节和初冬之前，铅暴露的可能性可能达到顶峰，直到狩猎造成的cas体稀缺为止。从2011年到2018年，我们在美国蒙大拿州的西部地区，冬季捕获了91只金鹰，测试了它们的血铅水平（BLL），并配备了部分鸟类（n = 29）使用全球定位系统[GPS]发射机。几乎所有的金鹰（94.5％）的BLL均升高（≥10μg/ dL），其中8头的BLL高于临床暴露水平（> 60μg/ dL），它们可能失去协调并经历许多其他神经和生理学上的变化失调。冬季后期捕捞的金鹰的BLL往往比早期捕捞的低。配备GPS发射器的金鹰至少有69％向北迁移，整个夏天都在美国阿拉斯加和加拿大西北部度过。迁徙和非迁徙的金鹰的血铅水平没有差异。总体而言，蒙大拿州西部整个冬季的金鹰中普遍存在较高的BLL。在高密度的金鹰地区推广无铅狩猎弹药将减少鸟类的铅暴露。