Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) represents a significant source of anthropogenic mercury emissions to the environment, with potentially severe implications for avian biodiversity. In the Madre de Dios department of the southern Peruvian Amazon, ASGM activities have created landscapes marred by deforestation and post-mining water bodies (mining ponds) with notable methylation potential. While data on Hg contamination in terrestrial wildlife remains limited, this study measures Hg exposure in several terrestrial bird species as bioindicators. Total Hg (THg) levels in feathers from birds near water bodies, including mining ponds associated with ASGM areas and oxbow lakes, were analyzed. Our results showed significantly higher Hg concentrations in birds from ASGM sites with mean ± SD of 3.14 ± 7.97 µg/g (range: 0.27 to 72.75 µg/g, n = 312) compared to control sites with a mean of 0.47 ± 0.42 µg/g (range: 0.04 to 1.89 µg/g, n = 52). Factors such as trophic guilds, ASGM presence, and water body area significantly influenced feather Hg concentrations. Notably, piscivorous birds exhibited the highest Hg concentration (31.03 ± 25.25 µg/g, n = 12) exceeding known concentrations that affect reproductive success, where one measurement of Chloroceryle americana (Green kingfisher; 72.7 µg/g) is among the highest ever reported in South America. This research quantifies Hg exposure in avian communities in Amazonian regions affected by ASGM, highlighting potential risks to regional bird populations.

手工和小规模金矿开采 (ASGM) 是人为环境汞排放的重要来源，可能对鸟类生物多样性产生严重影响。在秘鲁亚马逊南部的马德雷德迪奥斯省，手工和小规模采金活动造成了森林砍伐和采矿后水体（矿池）破坏的景观，具有显着的甲基化潜力。虽然有关陆地野生动物汞污染的数据仍然有限，但本研究测量了几种陆生鸟类的汞暴露量作为生物指标。对水体附近鸟类羽毛中的总汞 (THg) 水平进行了分析，其中包括与 ASGM 区域和牛轭湖相关的采矿池。我们的结果显示，与平均值为 0.47 ± 0.42 µg/g 的对照地点相比，ASGM 地点的鸟类汞浓度显着较高，平均值 ± SD 为 3.14 ± 7.97 µg/g（范围：0.27 至 72.75 µg/g，n  = 312）。 g（范围：0.04 至 1.89 µg/g，n  = 52）。营养行业、手工和小规模采金的存在以及水体面积等因素对羽毛汞浓度有显着影响。值得注意的是，食鱼鸟类表现出最高的汞浓度（31.03 ± 25.25 µg/g，n = 12），超过了影响繁殖成功的已知浓度，其中美洲金翠鸟（绿翠鸟；72.7 µg/g）的一项测量值是有史以来报道的最高水平之一在南美洲。这项研究量化了受手工和小规模采金影响的亚马逊地区鸟类群落的汞暴露量，强调了该地区鸟类种群的潜在风险。