Concentrations of copper, zinc and manganese in Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) at Jixi, Heilongjiang Province, China

Concentrations of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) were measured in four tissues of Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) from three sites in Heilongjiang province, China, during four seasons. Among the four measured tissues (primary feathers, liver, heart, and pectoral muscle), the highest concentrations were found in feathers (Zn) or liver (Cu and Mn), and the lowest concentrations were in muscle, except Cu. For Mn, mean concentrations of the birds from the three study sites were, in decreasing order: Didao mining area (DMA) > urban district of Jixi (UDJ) > Phoenix Mountain national nature reserve (PMR, the reference site), but not for Zn and Cu. There were significant differences between metal concentrations at the three sites, but differences were not significant for Mn (in muscle and feathers) and Cu (in feathers). For most elements, the mean concentrations were greatest in summer.