Benzene and toluene are representative volatile organic compounds (VOC) released during production, storage, and transportation associated with the oil and gas industry and are chemicals of concern, as they are released in greater and possibly more biologically significant concentrations than other compounds. Most studies of air pollution in high oil and gas activity areas have neglected to con...

Many parrot species are kept in captivity for conservation, but often show poor reproduction, health and survival. These traits are known to be influenced by oxidative stress, the imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ability of antioxidant defences to ameliorate ROS damage. In humans, oxidative stress is linked with obesity, lack of exercise and poor nutrition, ...

Pododermatitis is a worldwide problem in captive flaamingos. We performed an evaluation of different influence factors (age, sex, weight, origin, breeding status) and a comparison of foot lesions between several zoological institutions and the feet of free-ranging Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus). A scoring system was used to determine the prevalence and types of lesions and severity. ...

Forty captive Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), of both sexes, were separated into five groups and dosed with lead shot via oral intubation; one group was used as a control. Lead dosage differed in terms of shot number and size, as well as administration time. One hundred and thirty-five wild mallards were trapped between 1998 and 2001 in the Boada and Nava lagoons near the Canal de Castilla, in t...

We used the partially sequenced genomes of the turkey and chicken to find a large number of microsatellite markers. We then characterized 10 polymorphic microsatellite markers developed by cross-species amplification from economically and ecologically important birds to various European sub-species of the grey partridge. Even though we used cross-species amplification, a high degree of polymorp...

The zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata castanotis is a songbird commonly used in the laboratory, particularly for studies of vocal learning, neurobiology, and physiology. Within the laboratory, it is important to adopt careful husbandry practices that allow for normal development of the birds. For example, their song is a learned trait, passed culturally from adult males to juveniles, and thus its...

In environments where resources are difficult to obtain and enhanced cognitive capabilities might be adaptive, brain structures associated with cognitive traits may also be enhanced. In our previous studies, we documented a clear and significant relationship among environmental conditions, memory and hippocampal structure using ten populations of black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) o...

Members of the order Psittaciformes (parrots and cockatoos) are among the most long-lived and endangered avian species. Comprehensive data on lifespan and breeding are critical to setting conservation priorities, parameterizing population viability models, and managing captive and wild populations. To meet these needs, we analyzed 83, 212 life history records of captive birds from the Internati...

Although methylated mercury (MeHg) is known to have neurological, immunological, reproductive, and endocrine effects on vertebrates at low environmental exposure levels, effects on survival of exposed birds have not been demonstrated in the wild. Here, we report on survival of the same group of White Ibises (Eudocimus albus) during exposure to 4 levels of dietary MeHg in captivity and later as ...

salmonellosis is one of the most important zoonotic diseases worldwide. salmonella infections in wild birds are reported frequently. the objectives of this study were to isolate salmonella serovars from a large collection of samples obtained from pet birds in tehran, iran, and then to determine the serotypes and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of the isolates. between october 2007 and augu...