How poison in bird food changes their eggs
CHANGES IN EGG COMPOSITION OF AMERICAN KESTRELS EXPOSED TO DIETARY POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Egg size and volume didn't change despite major shifts in yolk and albumen composition.
People assume toxic exposure makes eggs smaller or misshapen — but here, the egg looked normal externally while its internal nutrition was severely altered.
Practical Takeaways
Avoid using or disposing of old electronics or paints that may contain PCBs near wildlife habitats.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Egg size and volume didn't change despite major shifts in yolk and albumen composition.
People assume toxic exposure makes eggs smaller or misshapen — but here, the egg looked normal externally while its internal nutrition was severely altered.
Practical Takeaways
Avoid using or disposing of old electronics or paints that may contain PCBs near wildlife habitats.
Publication
Journal
Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A
Year
2000
Authors
Kimberly J. Fernie, Gary R. Bortolotti, Judit E. S
Related Content
Claims (4)
Bird eggs have all the nutrients a baby bird needs to grow from a tiny cell into a fully formed chick inside the shell.
When captive American kestrels eat food contaminated with PCBs at a certain dose, their egg yolks get heavier and the clear egg white part gets smaller, which might mean the baby birds inside don't get the right nutrients to grow properly.
The longer a female kestrel eats food with toxic chemicals called PCBs, and the later she lays her eggs, the more of those chemicals end up in her eggs.
Birds exposed to a certain chemical have eggs that vary more in size from one to another in the same nest, but the average size of the eggs is about the same as in birds not exposed to the chemical.