A Review of the Problem of Lead Poisoning in Waterfowl
Table 4
Table 4 - Principal species of waterfowl in lead poisoning episodes investigated by the National Wildlife Health Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin, 1939-1984.a
| | FLYWAY |
| Atlantic | Mississippi | Central | Pacific | Total |
| No.b | % | No.
|
% | No. | %
| No. | % | No.
| % |
| Episodes | 47 | 10.8 | 230 | 53.0 | 59 | 13.6 | 98 | 22.6 | 434 | 100.0 |
| Species |
| Mallard | 9c | 17.0d | 81 | 29.6 | 28 | 34.6 | 23 | 16.4 | 141 | 25.7 |
| Canada Goose | 22 | 41.5 | 101 | 36.9 | 9 | 11.1 | 9 | 6.4 | 141 | 25.7 |
| Tundra Swan | 10 | 18.9 | 32 | 11.7 | 1 | 1.2 | 12 | 8.6 | 55 | 10.0 |
| Snow Goose | - | - | 17 | 6.2 | 8 | 9.9 | 28 | 20.0 | 53 | 9.6 |
| Pintail | - | - | 8 | 2.9 | 10 | 12.3 | 30 | 21.4 | 48 | 8.7 |
| Waterfowl | - | - | 1 | 0.4 | 7 | 8.6 | 7 | 5.0 | 15 | 2.7 |
| Redhead | 2 | 3.8 | 6 | 2.2 | 1 | 1.2 | 2 | 1.4 | 11 | 2.0 |
| Lesser Scaup | 2 | 3.8 | 5 | 1.8 | 3 | 3.7 | 1 | 0.7 | 11 | 2.0 |
| Canvasback | 2 | 3.8 | 6 | 2.2 | 2 | 2.5 | - | - | 10 | 1.8 |
| Trumpeter Swan | - | - | - | - | 4 | 4.9 | 5 | 3.6 | 9 | 1.6 |
| Goldeneye | - | - | 4 | 1.4 | - | - | 2 | 2.8 | 8 | 1.4 |
| Green-winged Teal | - | - | 3 | 1.1 | 2 | 2.5 | 3 | 2.1 | 8 | 1.4 |
| Wigeon | 1 | 1.9 | - | - | 2 | 2.5 | 4 | 2.8 | 7 | 1.3 |
| White-fronted Goose | - | - | 1 | 0.4 | 1 | 1.2 | 5 | 3.6 | 7 | 1.3 |
| Black Duck | 4 | 7.5 | 2 | 0.7 | - | - | - | - | 6 | 1.1 |
| Ross Goose | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 2.1 | 3 | 0.5 |
| Ring-necked Duck | - | - | 1 | 0.4 | 2 | 2.5 | - | - | 3 | 0.5 |
| Greater Scaup | - | - | 1 | 0.4 | - | - | 1 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.4 |
| Ducks | - | - | 1 | 0.4 | - | - | 1 | 0.7 | 2 | 0.4 |
| Ruddy Ducks | - | - | 1 | 0.4 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0.2 |
| Mute Swan | 1 | 1.9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0.2 |
| Gadwall | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1.2 | - | - | 1 | 0.2 |
| Blue-winged Teal | - | - | 1 | 0.4 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0.2 |
| Bufflehead | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0.7 | 1 | 0.2 |
| Shoveler | - | - | 1 | 0.4 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0.2 |
| Wood Duck | - | - | 1 | 0.4 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0.2 |
| Mixed Geese | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0.7 | 1 | 0.2 |
| Mottled Duck | - | - | -
| - | 1 | 1.2 | - | - | 1 | 0.2 |
| Totale | 53 | 100.0 | 274 | 100.0 | 81 | 100.0 | 140 | 100.0 | 549 | 100.0 |
aDr. Milton B. Friend, personal communication, 17 April 1985.
bNumber of episodes investigated in each flyway.
cNumber of episodes in a flyway (i.e., Atlantic Flyway) in which a given species (i.e., mallards) was a "principal species."
dMallards, for example, comprised 17.0 percent of the groups (not numbers) of the "principal species" of waterfowl involved in lead poisoning episodes in the Atlantic Flyway.
eBecause some episodes involved more than one species, the total for each flyway is larger than its number of episodes.
