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Common Moorhen Feathers Had the Highest PFAS Concentrations Among Three Waterbird Species

Wild common moorhen in Taiwan
Conservation · Threats

A study of waterbirds in the Huize Black-necked Crane National Nature Reserve in southwestern China found the highest average PFAS concentrations in feathers from common moorhens (Gallinula chloropus). The study, published online on 26 February 2026 in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, examined simultaneous exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and mercury in three waterbird species.

The researchers analysed 141 feather samples from common moorhens, black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis) and ruddy shelducks (Tadorna ferruginea). Feathers can accumulate contaminants during growth and were used to compare pollution exposure among species living in the same protected wetland system.

Common moorhens had the highest average PFAS concentration

The three species showed different contamination patterns. Black-necked cranes had the highest average mercury concentration, at about 2.9 μg/g. Common moorhens, by contrast, had the highest average PFAS concentration, at about 192 ng/g.

Only common moorhens showed a positive mercury–PFAS correlation

Common moorhens were also the only species in which mercury and PFAS concentrations showed a statistically supported positive correlation. The authors interpret this as evidence that the two contaminant groups may partly share exposure pathways in this species.

Differences among the birds were linked to ecological traits. Trophic guild and body size were important predictors of PFAS concentrations: omnivorous species and larger individuals tended to have lower PFAS levels. Mercury concentrations were more strongly associated with foraging ecology and aquatic dietary pathways than with body size.

Substantial exposure to both contaminant groups was therefore documented within a protected wetland, with feather concentrations and contaminant patterns differing markedly among the three waterbird species.

Sources and image credit

  1. Li, X., Li, X., Ye, Y., Dai, W., & Liu, S. (2026). Bio-concentration of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and mercury in feathers of waterbirds from a key conservation reserve, Southwest China. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 312, 119957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2026.119957Primary peer-reviewed article available online 26 February 2026 under CC BY-NC 4.0. It analysed 141 feather samples from three waterbird species; common moorhens had the highest mean PFAS burden (191.99 ± 191.88 ng/g) and were the only species with a significant positive Hg–PFAS correlation (r = 0.54, p < 0.05).

Image: Jimmy Yao — common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) photographed in Taiwan on 15 April 2009; representative species image, not a bird from the Southwest China study. Source: Wikimedia Commons. · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

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