Emironmemal Pollution(SeriesA) 27 (1982) 255 262 THE TOXICOLOGY OF INGESTED LEAD ACETATE IN RINGED TURTLE DOVES STREPTOPELIA RISORIA RONALD J. KENDALL* & PATRICK F. SCANLON Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA ABSTRACT Adult male ringed turtle doves Streptopelia risoria received lead acetate daily by intubation at the JoIIowing dosage levels." O, 25. 50 and 75 pg oJ lead per gramme (equivalent to mg kg- 1 ) body weight for 7 days. In the 75 #g g- 1 dose level, the dot'es lost 17'% of their original body weight as compared with 5 to 8 % in other treatments; howet,er, this effect was not statistically significant. A t sacrifice (Day 7) haemoglobin was lower in the 7511gg-I treated birds and blood concentrations were greatly elevated (> 300#g%). Measurement of the enzyme, delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD), prot, ed to be a sensitive indication of lead ingestion at 5 h after the first lead dose. At 30h and 168 h after the beginning of the experiment blood ALAD was also lowered by lead treatment. Lead concentrations in the liver, brain, and kidney were higher in the 75 ltg g- 1 treatment birds than dot, es that received50 or 25 pg of lead per gramme of body weight. Brain lead averaged 12"41 pg g- 1 in the 75 pg g- ~ lead treatment and seizures were noted in these birds. INTRODUCTION Waterfowl often ingest lead pellets spent during hunting activities, experience lead poisoning and die (Bellrose, 1959). Upland birds, such as mourning doves Zenaida macroura, ingest lead shot and have also been reported to be victims of lead poisoning (Locke & Bagley, 1967), the symptoms reported being a moribund, emaciated condition with acid-fast intranuclear inclusions in kidney cells. In contrast to waterfowl, the extent of lead poisoning in mourning doves would be difficult to evaluate as they are probably dispersed widely on land and are readily consumed by predators. * Present address: Huxley College of Environmental Studies, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 98225, USA. 255 Era'iron. Pollut. Set. A. 0143-1471/82/0027-0255/$02.75 ~ Applied Science Publishers Ltd. England. 1982 Printed in Great Britain