Effects of experimental lead exposure on physiological indices of nestling great tits Parus major: haematocrit and heterophile-to-lymphocyte ratio

This study applies a field experimental approach to an issue of single lead exposures and their effects on specific haematologial indices in nestling songbirds. We used nestling great tits Parus major as a model and showed that higher lead exposure was associated with significant haematocrit decline. In contrast, the assessment of the H/L ratio revealed no significant effect of a single lead exposure.