Shot Ingestion by Dabbling Ducks Wintering in Coastal South Carolina
We determined the incidence of lead, steel, and total shot ingestion in 4 species of dabbling ducks on a major wintering area of the Atlantic Flyway. Gizzards (N = 1,771) were collected from hunter-harvested mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) , northern pintails (A. acuta), blue-winged teal (A. discors), and American greenwinged teal (A. crecca) during the 1985-86,1986-87, and 1987-88 waterfowl hunting seasons on the Santee River Estuary (SRE), South Carolina. Total shot ingestion rates were high in northern pintails (15.9%) and mallards (8.4%), and low in American green-winged teal (1.3%) and...
