Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

A Review of the Problem of Lead Poisoning in Waterfowl

Table 1

Table 1 - Ingestion rates of lead and steel shot pellets in the more important species of game ducks as recorded in various states of the four flyways, 1973-84.

Flyway/State
Years
Investigator
Mallard
Mottled/Black Duck
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Wigeon
Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Blue-winged Teal
Shoveler
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Greater and Lesser Scaup
No.a
%b
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.a
%b
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
Atlantic
Florida
1973-78
Baker & Thompson 1979
50
32.0
452c
29.0
-
-
87
1.1
968
1.4
1,134
25.6
447
1.3
1,025
1.7
308
0.3
234
65.4
178
29.8
3,455
24.0
1,078
7.6
Maine
1976-80
Longcore et al. 1982
164
3.0
506d
6.9
9
0.0
2
0.0
9
0.0
42
2.4
397
0.3
111
1.8
-
-
-
-
-
-
5
20.0
1
0.0
Maryland
 
Scanlon et al. 1980
144
18.8
105 d
21.9
14
0.0
17
0.0
16
0.0
10
10.0
17
0.0
-
-
4
2.5
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
0.0
New York
1977-82
Moser 1983
8,154
12.1
3,450d
8.7
1,204
1.6
295
1.0
581
1.0
224
6.7
803
1.2
343
0.3
-
-
209
6.2
199
6.0
107
7.5
592
7.9
Florida
1976-84
Thul 1985
90
16.7
202c
14.9
242
4.5
68
1.5
171
4.1
114
12.3
277
3.3
1,605
3.1
519
1.3
33
9.1
25
12.0
5,436
15.9
1,072
16.9
Subtotal & Mean
 
 
8,602
12.3
4,061
8.8
1,469
1.9
469
1.1
1,745
1.5
1,524
21.1
1,941
1.9
3,084
2.3
831
1.0
476
35.5
402
16.9
9,003
20.0
2,752
11.3
Mississippi
Arkansas
1977-79
Sullivan 1980
4,445
6.7
9d
0.0
88
2.3
65
4.6
13
7.7
11
9.1
207e
0.0
-
-
5
0.0
4
0.0
2
0.0
22
4.5
10
0.0
Michigan
1977-79
Nelson & Johnson 1980
6,025
8.6
664d
9.6
468
4.0
76
5.3
284
2.4
273
4.8
808
1.5
285
1.0
28
7.1
8
12.5
51
17.6
364
18.4
248
4.0
Ohio
1977-79
Bednarik & Shieldcastle 1980
2,073
6.8
271d
5.9
556
0.9
286
0.7
250
0.8
622
5.3
500
0.2
833
0.6
361
0.6
-
-
29
10.3
83
7.2
114
14.9
Indiana
1977-80
Sporre & Blevins 1981
1,809
9.8
188d
9.0
-
-
-
-
-
-
99
12.1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Louisiana
1974-81
Smith 1981
6,834
15.2
611c
26.4
378
2.6
422
1.4
182
2.2
3,956
16.6
555
1.8
2,251
6.4
155
1.3
13
7.7
14
28.6
205
14.1
523
26.8
Missouri
1978-81
Humburg & Babcock 1982
14,638
6.0
2d
0.0
32
0.0
100
2.0
141
0.7
472
5.7
262
0.0
59
0.0
67
3.0
8
12.5
34
0.0
438
13.0
92
4.3
Illinois
1979-82
Anderson 1982
9,574
6.4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
18
0.0
5
20.0
323
2.5
Subtotal & Mean
 
 
45,448
8.1
1,134
8.6
1,522
2.4
949
1.8
870
1.7
5,433
13.7
2,332
1.0
3,428
4.4
295
1.6
29
10.3
148
10.8
1,117
14.3
1,310
13.7
Central
Kansas
1973-74
Funk 1974
407
4.2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
171
4.7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
86
14.0
N. Dakota
1973,77,78
Johnson 1985
746
0.8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
57
1.8
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
27
0.0
S. Dakota
1973,83
Funk 1974; Fowler & Simpson 1984
1,080
2.3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
46
2.2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
69
1.4
Nebraska
1973-83
Funk 1974; Gabig 1984
4,643
1.1
-
-
-
-
181
0.0
216
0.0
258
0.8
197
0.5
193
0.5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
78
1.3
Oklahoma
1979-84
Due 1985
2,811
2.0
-
-
92
2.2
248
0.4
139
1.4
83
2.4
288
0.0
10
0.0
33
3.0
6
0.0
33
9.1
45
2.2
76
6.6
Texas
1981-83
TX Parks & Wildl. Dept. 1982, 1983
1,405
12.0
1,347c
29.5
73
2.7
569
0.7
518
1.0
2,633
14.3
858
0.9
325
2.8
198
4.5
39
12.8
299
22.4
404
24.8
820
23.4
Subtotal & Mean
 
 
11,092
2.6
-
-
165
2.4
998
0.5
873
0.8
3,248
12.0
1,343
0.7
528
1.9
231
4.3
45
11.1
332
21.1
449
22.5
1,156
18.3
Pacific
Nevada
1974-77
Barngrover 1977
1,388
9.1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,460
8.4
412
0.2
-
-
29
0.0
349
17.5
509
17.7
-
-
-
-
California
1974-80
Moore & King 1980
9,271
7.8
-
-
-
-
83
3.6
499
1.6
18,386
8.8
1,372e
0.1
-
-
723
1.4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Montana
1976-81
Childress 1985
2,467
2.4
-
-
-
-
1,140
0.4
510
0.8
687
1.9
363
0.0
592
2.4
550
0.2
141
9.2
99
4.0
19
0.0
505
3.2
Oregon
1974-83
Vendshus n.d.
3,212
21.3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2,981
25.2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Subtotal & Mean
 
 
16,338
9.7
-
-
-
-
1,223
0.7
1,009
1.2
23,514
10.6
2,147
1.4
592
2.4
1,302
0.8
490
15.1
608
15.5
19
0.0
505
3.2
Total & Mean
 
 
81,480
8.1
5,195d
8.8d
3,156
2.2
4,160
0.9
4,497
1.3
33,719
11.7
7,763
0.1
7,632
3.2
2,624
1.3
1,040
24.1
1,490
16.6
10,588
19.5
5,723
12.5
 
 
 
 
2,612c
27.5c
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Grand total: 171,697 ducks examined; 8.9% of the gizzards had ≥1 shot.
aNumber of gizzards examined.
bPercentage of gizzards with >1 shot.
cMottled duck.
dBlack duck.
eTeal, largely green-winged.
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