Trace Metals Concentration Study in Feathers of Laughing Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis) for Pollution Monitoring in Central Iran (Case Study: Yazd City)

Feathers as an excellent way to monitor trace metals in the environment from the 1960s have already been used. The aim of this study is using feather of laughing dove (Streptopelia senegalensis) as an indicator of urban environmental pollution.

The concentration of Cadmium, Lead, Copper and Zinc were evaluated from 58 laughing dove's feather samples from 19 different locations within the city of Yazd. Chemical digestion and atomic absorption spectrometer was used for measuring the concentration of trace metal. Weighing method by 0.001 g accuracy digital scale were used to study the index of two wing asymmetry.

Mean concentration of Lead, Cadmium, Copper and Zinc were 20.13 ± 1.27 μg g-1, 0.85± 0.04 μg g-1, 15.56 ± 0.28 μg g-1 and 209.72 ± 8.77 μg g-1. Due to heterogeneity of human activity and structure in urban environment the concentration of trace metals (lead, cadmium and zinc) showed significant differences in different local scale regions. In this study correlation was observed between Lead and Cadmium with Zinc.

Correlation pattern could simply result from correlated concentrations of these metals in the environment and could be a kind of positive feedback protection against Lead and Cadmium pollution. The results showed considerable trace metals absorption by laughing dove's feather that caused by human activity and efficiency of laughing dove's feather as an indicators of trace metal pollution in urban environment.