Trace, macro and rare earth elements in a sedentary avian predator: Relationships with age and dietary tracers.

The tawny owl (Strix aluco) has been proposed as a key species for pan-European monitoring of pollutants because of its long lifespan and sedentary behavior. We investigated the occurrence of a wide range of essential and non-essential elements in tawny owls from central Norway and compared elemental concentration between adults and nestlings and to dietary tracers (δ13C and δ15N). Concentrations of 61 elements were analyzed using whole blood and body feathers collected from adult females (n = 52) and their nestlings (n = 61).

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances in Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) feathers from Trøndelag, Norway.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are contaminants of global concern due to their ubiquitous occurrence in the environment, bioaccumulation and the adverse effects on organisms. Tawny Owls (Strix aluco) are documented to be exposed to increasing concentrations of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), and have been suggested in literature as a key raptor monitoring species. Therefore, non-destructive biomonitoring efforts are of high interest.

Primary Cell Lines From Feathers and Blood of Free-Living Tawny Owls (Strix aluco): A New Tool for Non-Lethal Toxicological Studies.

The validation of the use of primary cell lines from non-lethal matrixes of feathers and blood of nestlings of a wild bird species, the tawny owl (Strix aluco) is described. Tawny Owl Feather Fibroblast (TOFF) cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and cultured from the pulp of the secondary wing feathers and whole blood respectively from free-living tawny owl nestlings. Cell growth was registered up until 48 h for both the PBMC cells and the TOFFs.