Environmental mercury (Hg) contamination of the global tropics outpaces our understanding of its consequences for biodiversity. Knowledge gaps of pollution exposure could obscure conservation threats in the Neotropics: a region that supports over half of the world’s species, but faces ongoing land-use change and Hg emission via artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM). Due to their global distribution and sensitivity to pollution, birds provide a valuable opportunity as bioindicators to assess how accelerating Hg emissions impact an ecosystem’s ability to support biodiversity, and ultimately, global health. We present the largest database on Neotropical bird Hg concentrations (n = 2316) and establish exposure baselines for 322 bird species spanning nine countries across Central America, South America, and the West Indies. Patterns of avian Hg exposure in the Neotropics broadly align with those in temperate regions: consistent bioaccumulation across functional groups and high spatiotemporal variation. Bird species occupying higher trophic positions and aquatic habitats exhibited elevated Hg concentrations that have been previously associated with reductions in reproductive success. Notably, bird Hg concentrations were over four times higher at sites impacted by ASGM activities and differed by season for certain trophic niches. We developed this synthesis via a collaborative research network, the Tropical Research for Avian Conservation and Ecotoxicology (TRACE) Initiative, which exemplifies inclusive, equitable, and international data-sharing. While our findings signal an urgent need to assess sampling biases, mechanisms, and consequences of Hg exposure to tropical avian communities, the TRACE Initiative provides a meaningful framework to achieve such goals. Ultimately, our collective efforts support and inform local, scientific, and government entities, including Parties of the United Nations Minamata Convention on Mercury, as we continue working together to understand how Hg pollution impacts biodiversity conservation, ecosystem function, and public health in the tropics.

全球热带地区的环境汞 (Hg) 污染超出了我们对其对生物多样性影响的了解。关于污染暴露的知识差距可能会掩盖新热带地区的保护威胁：该地区养育着世界上一半以上的物种，但面临着持续的土地利用变化和手工和小规模采金 (ASGM) 造成的汞排放。由于其全球分布和对污染的敏感性，鸟类提供了一个作为生物指示剂的宝贵机会，可以评估汞排放的加速如何影响生态系统支持生物多样性并最终影响全球健康的能力。我们提供了最大的新热带鸟类汞浓度数据库 ( n  = 2316)，并为中美洲、南美洲和西印度群岛 9 个国家的 322 种鸟类建立了暴露基线。新热带地区鸟类的汞暴露模式与温带地区的鸟类汞暴露模式大致一致：不同功能群的生物累积一致，且时空变化较大。占据较高营养位置和水生栖息地的鸟类表现出较高的汞浓度，此前人们认为这与繁殖成功率的降低有关。值得注意的是，受手工和小规模采金活动影响的地点，鸟类汞浓度高出四倍多，并且某些营养生态位的季节不同。我们通过合作研究网络“鸟类保护和生态毒理学热带研究 (TRACE) 倡议”开发了这一综合成果，该网络体现了包容性、公平性和国际数据共享。虽然我们的研究结果表明迫切需要评估热带鸟类群落汞暴露的采样偏差、机制和后果，但 TRACE 倡议为实现这些目标提供了一个有意义的框架。最终，我们的集体努力将为当地、科学和政府实体（包括联合国水俣公约缔约方）提供支持和信息，同时我们将继续共同努力了解汞污染如何影响热带地区的生物多样性保护、生态系统功能和公共卫生。