Liver Trace Metal Concentrations in Canadian Scavenging Birds, 2000-2024

Environment and Climate Change Canada generated a dataset of 954 liver samples from scavenging birds to investigate bioaccumulation of trace metals, with a focus on lead and antimony. The data was collected from dead and moribund birds brought to wildlife organizations across Canada between 2000 and 2024. This national-scale study, initiated in 2018, aimed to determine lead concentrations, identify high-risk species and regions, and examine antimony as a co-contaminant.

Use Cases

• Assessing lead exposure risk in raptor and corvid populations based on liver concentration data.
• Identifying geographic regions in Canada with higher metal contamination based on sample provenance.
• Investigating the relationship between lead and antimony as co-contaminants in scavenging birds.
• Modeling bioaccumulation trends over a 24-year period from 2000 to 2024.

Strengths

• Contains 954 liver samples, providing a substantial sample size for analysis.
• Covers a 24-year temporal range from 2000 to 2024, allowing for longitudinal study.
• Focuses on specific trace metals (lead and antimony) with clear research objectives.
• Results from a multi-agency collaboration, suggesting standardized collection methods.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to opportunistic sampling from wildlife organizations.

Provenance

Source

Environment and Climate Change Canada

Collection Method

Liver samples obtained from dead and moribund birds brought to wildlife organizations.

Time Range

2000 to 2024

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 13:52:04.829579; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Canada