MANSFIELD – Lead toxicity is the first thing Ohio Bird Sanctuary employees check for when a new patient is admitted.
More than three-fourths of the birds it takes in test positive.
Lead toxicity is an epidemic impacting carnivorous bird populations nationwide – and it has been for some time, according to a 2015 study. Any lead exposure is harmful, no matter how small.
Lead has become one of the most well-known toxins for people. It’s in the paint of old buildings, soil, plumbing and even food in high-risk areas.
It’s also in ammunition.
“No amount of lead is normal in a biological system,” said Anthony Baffo, the director of communications at the Minnesota Raptor Center. “In the bald eagles we treat at The Raptor Center, the biggest cause of lead toxicity that we can track is the lead products used in hunting.”
The Raptor Center is part of the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine. It admits more than 1,000 birds of prey each year, making it one of the Midwest’s foremost avian research centers.
“During deer hunting season, eagles and other scavengers feed on gut piles or unrecovered deer contaminated with lead-based ammunition and ingest this deadly toxin,” Baffo said.
“The fragmented lead bullets, used widely in hunting, are found to disperse dangerously within the deer carcass, turning what should be a natural act of scavenging into a lethal meal for these majestic birds.”
“The biggest cause of lead toxicity that we can track is the lead products used in hunting.”
Anthony Baffo, Communications director at the university of minnesota raptor center
Symptoms of lead toxicity in birds occur in the brain and can interfere with a bird’s ability to breathe.
Eagles also aren’t the only ones suffering. Lead contamination in the environment has been pointed to as a key factor in the decline and endangerment of the California condor.
“I’ve held the condor in my arms and watched it die and shake and tremor from lead poisoning, not even being able to hold their head or their wings up,” said Elaine T. Leslie, a former chief of biological resources for the National Park Service, to KUNC in 2025.
“It’s a horrible death.”
Hunters can help by switching to lead-free ammo
Baffo said switching to lead-free ammo is one way hunters can help protect the health of bald eagles and other birds of prey.
“With over 150,000 deer hunted annually in Minnesota alone, the choice of ammunition has a far-reaching impact on our wildlife and environment,” Baffo said. “Switching to non-lead alternatives, such as copper ammunition, can be a game-changer.”
The issue is that non-lead alternatives are often hard to spot and not properly marked, according to Baffo. Lead ammunition is also more prevalent due to lower production cost, leading to overrepresentation on shelves.
Copper ammo is up to 30 percent more expensive than its more toxic peer. Lead ammo is more readily available, keeping costs low with ample supply.
But copper ammo is more accurate and damaging, and fragments less than lead bullets upon impact, according to an online ammunition retailer, Powder Valley Outdoors.
Nevertheless, some hunters and lawmakers have pushed back on proposed regulations to limit lead ammunition.
In March, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would limit lead tackle and ammunition bans on federal land.
“Hunters and anglers shouldn’t have to worry about red tape while enjoying the great outdoors,” House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman said in a press release.
Ohio’s laws against lead ammunition are limited
Several statewide restrictions against toxic ammunition exist in Ohio, including usage against “ducks, geese (including brant), rails, snipe, gallinules or coots,” according to the Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations.
This doesn’t limit its use against the prey of raptors. Migratory birds are protected, but no law is in place to keep lead ammunition from entering deer, squirrels, possums and other common meals for eagles, falcons and other birds of prey.
California is the only state to have a full ban on lead ammunition, which was fully phased in 2019. Advocacy groups in other states like Maryland and Colorado are pushing for similar bans.
The most accessible way to curb lead toxicity in birds is through hunters’ personal decisions, pending legislative intervention against lead ammunition, said Baffo.
“These non-toxic options are not only proven to be as effective as lead shot and increasingly affordable, but also ensure that wildlife, like our cherished bald eagles, are spared from unintended harm,” he said.
