A novel approach to assess the heavy metal content in the feathers of shorebirds: A perspective of environmental research

Metals are major toxic elements and cause various diseases and damage shorebirds. The study envisaged the heavy metals content in the feathers of shorebirds, prey, water, and sediment from Pichavaram Mangrove Forest (PMF). Primary feathers of shorebirds species such as Curlew Sandpiper, Eurasian Curlew, and Painted Stork were collected and analyzed the following metals viz., Cd, Cu, Cr, Co, Pb, Hg, Ni, and Zn. The levels of Hg, Cr, Pb and Ni varied significantly among the metals studied (p Eurasian Curlew > Curlew sandpiper. However, in the habitat, Cd, Co, Pb, Hg, Ni and Zi varied significantly between water and sediment (p