Determination of Chemical Element Content in Pink Flamingo Feathers Phoenicopterus ruber roseus as a Method of Health Assessment

Представлены результаты исследований микроэлементного состава перьев диких птиц, содержащихся в условиях зоологических учреждений. Целью исследования было изучить содержание некоторых тяжёлых металлов и мышьяка у представителей отряда Фламингообразные Phoenicopteriformes и разработать центильные шкалы для оценки состояния здоровья птиц. В 2018–2020 гг. проведены исследования перьев розового фламинго на предмет накопления цинка, меди, железа, свинца, кадмия и мышьяка атомно-абсорбционным методом. Приведены данные по особенностям содержания химических элементов у розового фламинго – Phoenicopterus ruber roseus. В ходе исследования установлено, что по величине среднего содержания в перьях птиц исследуемые элементы образуют следующий убывающий ряд: Fe > Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd > As. У розовых фламинго, содержащихся в искусственно созданных условиях, наблюдается тенденция к снижению концентрации кадмия у 50,0%, увеличению железа, свинца и мышьяка – у 50,0% особей. Наибольшие колебания в отклонении уровня накопления отмечены в отношении токсичных элементов: Cd, Pb и As, наименьшие – Cu. Средние концентрации Zn, Cu, Fe и Cd установлены у 33,3% особей фламинго, Pb и As – у 16,7% от общего количества изученных птиц. 16,7% исследуемых птиц по уровню содержания цинка и меди, 33,3% – железа, свинца, кадмия и мышьяка находятся в состоянии «предболезни» и требуют дополнительных обследований. Достоверно установлен синергизм между накоплением Fe – As, Pb – Cd, Pb – As и антагонизм между Fe – Cu и Fe – Pb. Для улучшения микроэлементного статуса розового фламинго зоологических учреждений необходимо проводить мониторинговые исследования с периодичностью 1 раз в полгода с оценкой уровня химических элементов по центильным шкалам. The results of researches of microelement composition of feathers of wild birds contained in conditions of zoological institutions are presented. The purpose of the research was to study the content of some heavy metals and arsenic in representatives of the Flamingo Phoenicopteriformes and to develop centile metrics for assessing the health of birds. In 2018-2020 studies of pink flamingo feathers were carried out for the accumulation of zinc, copper, iron, lead, cadmium and arsenic by absorption method. Data on peculiarities of chemical elements content in pink flamingo – Phoenicopterus ruber roseus are given. As part of the study it was found that in terms of the average content in bird feathers the examined elements form the following decreasing series: Fe > Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd > As. In pink flamingos contained in artificially created conditions, there is a tendency to decrease the concentration of cadmium in 50.0%, an increase in iron, lead and arsenic in 50.0% of individuals. The largest fluctuations in the deviation in the level of accumulation were noted for toxic elements: Cd, Pb and As, the smallest – Cu. Average concentrations of Zn, Cu, Fe and Cd were established in 33.3% of individuals of flamingos, Pb and As – in 16.7% of the total number of birds studied. 16.7% of birds under investigation in terms of zinc and copper content, 33.3% – iron, lead, cadmium and arsenic are in a state of "pre-disease" and require additional examinations. The synergism between the accumulation of Fe – As, Pb – Cd, Pb – As and the antagonism between Fe – Cu and Fe – Pb is reliably established. To improve the microelement status of pink flamingo of zoological institutions, it is necessary to conduct monitoring studies once every six months with an assessment of the level of chemical elements on centile metrics.

Sperm Cryopreservation in American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus Ruber): Influence of Cryoprotectants and Seminal Plasma Removal

The American flamingo is a useful model for the development of successful semen cryopreservation procedures to be applied to threatened related species from the family Phoenicopteridae, and to permit genetic material banking. Current study sought to develop effective sperm cryopreservation protocols through examining the influences of two permeating cryoprotectants and the seminal plasma removal. During two consecutive years (April), semen samples were collected and frozen from American flamingos. In the first year, the effect of two permeating cryoprotectants, DMA (dimethylacetamide) (6%) or Me2SO (dimethylsulphoxide) (8%), on frozen–thawed sperm variables were compared in 21 males. No differences were seen between DMA and Me2SO for sperm motility, sperm viability, and DNA fragmentation after thawing. In the second year, the role of seminal plasma on sperm cryoresistance was investigated in 31 flamingos. Sperm samples were cryopreserved with and without seminal plasma, using Me2SO (8%) as a cryoprotectant. The results showed that samples with seminal plasma had higher values than samples without seminal plasma for the following sperm variables: Straight line velocity (22.40 µm/s vs. 16.64 µm/s), wobble (75.83% vs. 69.40%), (p < 0.05), linearity (62.73% vs. 52.01%) and straightness (82.38% vs. 73.79%) (p < 0.01); but acrosome integrity was lower (55.56% vs. 66.88%) (p < 0.05). The cryoresistance ratio (CR) was greater in samples frozen with seminal plasma than without seminal plasma for CR-progressive motility (138.72 vs. 54.59), CR-curvilinear velocity (105.98 vs. 89.32), CR-straight line velocity (152.77 vs. 112.58), CR-average path velocity (122.48 vs. 98.12), CR-wobble (111.75 vs. 102.04) (p < 0.05), CR-linearity (139.41 vs. 113.18), and CR-straightness (124.02 vs. 109.97) (p < 0.01). This research demonstrated that there were not differences between Me2SO and DMA to successful freezing sperm of flamingos; seminal plasma removal did not provide a benefit for sperm cryopreservation.

Assessment of the American Flamingo distribution, trends, and important breeding areas

The American Flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber, is a charismatic bird distributed throughout the Caribbean, North and South America. Its wide distribution, the complexity of international monitoring due to its capacity for long-distance flying, and a focus mostly on local populations, make it difficult to understand the dynamics between sites. Here, we took advantage of the citizen eBird science project to present a global perspective on the distribution of the American Flamingo, and identify the potentially most important countries for breeding. We obtained 16,930 records for the Americas from the 1960s until October 2018, of which 9,283 could be used for our objectives. The eBird database indicated a considerable increase in the total number of records over the last decade (2010s), probably reflecting an increase in tourism facilities, research investment, technological advancement, interest in conservation, and the worldwide availability of eBird. We also observed a range extension in the Gulf of Mexico in the United States and a significant recolonization in the Florida Peninsula. The apparent range extension to the South is more likely to be linked to biases in the data; for example, in any given country the number of records might reflect either reporting efforts or actual numbers. eBird data confirmed that six countries host the main breeding colonies (Bahamas, Bonaire, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, and Venezuela). We suggest three additional countries as potential breeding areas for the species (Colombia, Curaçao, Turks and Caicos Islands) for which more field observations are necessary to support this possibility. This global appraisal of the distribution of the American Flamingo using citizen science data provides valuable information for national and international management and conservation programs such as the need to verify the species breeding status in areas where it appears to be expanding its distribution.

Total Eclipse of the Zoo: Animal Behavior during a Total Solar Eclipse

The infrequency of a total solar eclipse renders the event novel to those animals that experience its effects and, consequently, may induce anomalous behavioral responses. However, historical information on the responses of animals to eclipses is scant and often conflicting. In this study, we qualitatively document the responses of 17 vertebrate taxa (including mammals, birds, and reptiles) to the 2017 total solar eclipse as it passed over Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina. In the days leading up to the eclipse, several focal teams, each consisting of researchers, animal keepers, and student/zoo volunteers conducted baseline observations using a combination of continuous ad libitum and scan sampling of each animal during closely matched seasonal conditions. These same focal teams used the same protocol to observe the animals in the hours preceding, during, and immediately following the eclipse. Additionally, for one species—siamangs (Symphalangus syndactylus)—live video/audio capture was also employed throughout observations to capture behavior during vocalizations for subsequent quantitative analysis. Behavioral responses were classified into one or more of four overarching behavioral categories: normal (baseline), evening, apparent anxiety, and novel. Thirteen of seventeen observed taxa exhibited behaviors during the eclipse that differed from all other observation times, with the majority (8) of these animals engaging in behaviors associated with their evening or nighttime routines. The second predominant behavior was apparent anxiety, documented in five genera: baboons (Papio hamadryas), gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), giraffes (Giraffa cf. camelopardalis), flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber), and lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus and Trichoglossus haematodus). Novel behaviors characterized by an increase in otherwise nearly sedentary activity were observed only in the reptiles, the Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra) and the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis). While the anthropogenic influences on animal behaviors—particularly those relating to anxiety—cannot be discounted, these observations provide novel insight into the observed responses of a diverse vertebrate sample during a unique meteorological stimulus, insights that supplement the rare observations of behavior during this phenomenon for contextualizing future studies.