Lead concentrations and reproduction in highway-nesting barn swallows.

Abstract

Lead concentrations in the carcasses and stomach contents of adult and nestling Hirundo rustica collected within the right-of- way of a major Maryland highway were greater than those found in barn swallows nesting within a rural area. Lead concentrations in the feathers of adults from the highway colony were also greater than those of rural adults, but concentrations in the feathers of nestlings from the 2 locations were similar. Number of eggs, nestlings and body weights at 16-18 days of age were similar in the colonies, as were body weights of adults. Contamination of roadside habitats by Pb from automotive emissions thus does not pose a serious hazard to birds that are aerial feeders. -Authors