Chemical Contaminants in Birds

Birds are indicators of temporal and geographic trends in the concentrations of chemical contaminants, and in many cases, these trends can be monitored using non-lethal methods, such as analysis of feathers for metals and analysis of eggs for organic contaminants. Birds are also sensitive to the effects of chemical contaminants, as illustrated by the collapse of South Asian vulture populations from exposure to diclofenac, eggshell thinning in fish eating birds from exposure to DDT and developmental deformities in cormorants from exposure to PCBs and other POPs.

This special collection will feature articles that focus on temporal, geographic and trophic trends in the concentrations of chemical contaminants in birds, as well as articles that describe the effects of chemical contaminants on the health of birds. The special collection will be a joint initiative by four Springer Nature journals, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (AECT), Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (BECT), Reviews in Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (RECT) and Ecotoxicology(ECTX). Articles published recently (e.g., 2024) will be included in the Special Collection, as well as articles submitted prior to the submission deadline of June 2025.

Each of the articles will be published in the journal to which they were submitted, but the Special Collection will be compiled on-line by Springer Nature as a group of articles focused on the theme of Chemical Contaminants in Birds.