{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T18:08:13Z","timestamp":1789150093366,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789084800000},"content-version":"am","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"the North American Falconers' Association and The Falconry Fund"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Agricultural intensification can increase environmental contamination through fertilizer and pesticide use and soil disturbance, with consequences for wildlife and food webs. Raptors are effective bioindicators because they integrate exposure across trophic levels; however, noninvasive matrices beyond feathers and feces remain underutilized for chemical analysis. Here, we evaluate American kestrel (Falco sparverius) pellets as a noninvasive tool for monitoring trace element transfer in agricultural landscapes. We compared two regions in northwestern Virginia that differ strongly in land use intensity and human population density: An intensively managed production-oriented landscape (Shenandoah Valley Raptor Study Area) and a more rural system dominated by pastureland and woodland (Highland County). Between May and July 2025, we collected 185 fresh pellets from nest boxes and quantified concentrations of toxic elements (As, Cd, Ni, Pb) and potentially toxic elements (Cr, Cu, Mn, Se, Zn) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Generalized linear mixed models with nest box ID as a random effect revealed higher concentrations of As, Cr, Cu, and Pb in the intensively managed landscape, whereas Cd, Mn, Ni, Se, and Zn did not differ between regions. Relative to published data from eastern Poland obtained with the same protocol, Virginia pellets showed markedly higher As, Cr, and Cu, especially at the intensive site, indicating a distinct regional contamination signature. Comparisons with owl pellet studies suggested broadly overlapping ranges for several elements but consistently elevated Cu and low Ni in Virginia. Our results (a) demonstrate that kestrel pellets capture land use\u2013related differences in contaminant pathways, (b) highlight element-specific responses to agricultural intensification, and (c) support pellets as a sensitive and readily available matrix for noninvasive biomonitoring in agroecosystems.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/etojnl\/vgag220","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T17:27:00Z","timestamp":1789147620000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Land use intensity and trace elements in raptor pellets: Evidence from two agricultural regions in Virginia, USA"],"prefix":"10.1093","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1804-125X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Piotr","family":"Zduniak","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Avian Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University , Pozna\u0144,","place":["Poland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-6392-1202","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jill","family":"Morrow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Shenandoah Valley Raptor Study Area , Timberville, VA,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lance","family":"Morrow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Shenandoah Valley Raptor Study Area , Timberville, VA,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tim","family":"Rocke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Shenandoah Valley Raptor Study Area , Timberville, VA,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"John","family":"Spahr","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"American Kestrel Project, Virginia Society of Ornithology , Blue Grass, VA,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0037-5908","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Izabela","family":"Komorowicz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Trace Analysis, Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University , Pozna\u0144,","place":["Poland"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026091113265494400_vgag220-B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1198","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envpol.2017.10.031","article-title":"Evaluating blood and excrement as bioindicators for metal accumulation in birds","volume":"233","author":"Berglund","year":"2018","journal-title":"Environmental Pollution"},{"key":"2026091113265494400_vgag220-B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"115773","DOI":"10.1016\/j.marpolbul.2023.115773","article-title":"Biovectoring of plastic by white storks from a landfill 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and radioactivity in pellets from long-eared owls (Asio otus) inhabiting the city of Belgrade (Serbia)","volume":"27","author":"Demajo","year":"2011","journal-title":"Chemistry and Ecology"},{"key":"2026091113265494400_vgag220-B6","volume-title":"The future of food and agriculture\u2014Trends and challenges","author":"Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations","year":"2017"},{"key":"2026091113265494400_vgag220-B7","author":"IBM Corp","year":"2025"},{"key":"2026091113265494400_vgag220-B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"220","DOI":"10.3356\/JRR-21-64","article-title":"Factors associated with American kestrel (Falco sparverius) nest box occupancy and reproductive success in an agricultural landscape","volume":"57","author":"Kolowski","year":"2022","journal-title":"Journal of Raptor Research"},{"key":"2026091113265494400_vgag220-B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"435","DOI":"10.1016\/S0269-7491(98)00169-9","article-title":"Lead shot ingestion by marsh harriers Circus aeruginosus from the Ebro delta, Spain","volume":"104","author":"Mateo","year":"1999","journal-title":"Environmental Pollution"},{"key":"2026091113265494400_vgag220-B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6922","DOI":"10.1007\/s11356-023-31710-2","article-title":"Diet analysis and the assessment of plastic and other indigestible anthropogenic litter in the white stork pellets","volume":"31","author":"Mikula","year":"2024","journal-title":"Environmental Science and Pollution Research International"},{"key":"2026091113265494400_vgag220-B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"141437","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2020.141437","article-title":"Lead contamination in raptors in Europe: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"748","author":"Moncl\u00fas","year":"2020","journal-title":"The Science of the Total Environment"},{"key":"2026091113265494400_vgag220-B12","first-page":"7","article-title":"Reproductive parameters of American kestrels (Falco sparverius) using nest boxes in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia 2008\u20132020","volume":"70","author":"Morrow","year":"2021","journal-title":"Maryland Birdlife"},{"key":"2026091113265494400_vgag220-B13","author":"National Agricultural Statistics Service","year":"2022"},{"key":"2026091113265494400_vgag220-B14","author":"National Agricultural Statistics Service","year":"2022"},{"key":"2026091113265494400_vgag220-B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"693","DOI":"10.3390\/toxics10110693","article-title":"Analysis of toxic heavy metals in the pellets of owls: A novel approach for the evaluation of environmental pollutants","volume":"10","author":"Nazneen","year":"2022","journal-title":"Toxics"},{"key":"2026091113265494400_vgag220-B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"154","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ecoenv.2007.04.016","article-title":"Heavy metal (Cd, Pb, Zn) and metalloid (As) content in raptor species from Galicia (NW 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