Feather mercury levels in beached Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) in northern Argentina during the non‑breeding season

QUADRI ADROGUE A; GOMEZ GARCIA PILAR; GARCIA FERNANDEZ JUAN A; GARCÍA, GERMÁN OSCAR; SECO PON, JUAN P.; MIGLIORANZA KARINA SILVIA BEATRIZ

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH

SPRINGER HEIDELBERG

Lugar: HEIDELBERG; Año: 2022

0944-1344

Mercury (Hg) is a great concern for marine environments. Bird feathers have been widely used to assess Hg pollution. In thisstudy, we determine mercury concentrations in body feathers of juvenile Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus)from the southeastern sector of Buenos Aires province, Argentina, during a non-breeding season, considering both sexes. Hglevels, considering both females and males together, ranged between 265.5 and 1515.52 ng/g. These levels are well belowthe concentrations in feathers suggested for taking actions focused on the protection of seabirds. Non-significant differencesbetween sexes regarding Hg levels were found, probably because juveniles were sexually immature and females did notexcrete Hg by egg laying yet. Hg concentrations found in this study were an order of magnitude higher than those reported10 years ago for the species in breeding areas on the Argentine coast. Thus, the present study provides relevant informationindicating a possible increase of Hg pollution in the southwestern region of the Atlantic Ocean and thus trigger for thedevelopment of monitoring programs and regional strategies to improve the conservation status of this species.