Environmentally acquired lead in the laughing gull, Larus atricilla

Lead concentrations were measured in eggs, prefledgings and adult laughing gulls collected near Galveston, Texas. No lead was found in eggs. Prefledgling and adult birds had lead ranging from zero to 16 mug/g wet tissue. Liver had the greatest lead concentrations followed by brain, heart and skeletal muscle. There were no significant differences in lead concentrations between fledglings and adults or between males and females.