The black-legged kittiwake preen gland—an overlooked organ for depuration of fat-soluble contaminants?

Most birds preen their feathers with an oily excrete from the uropygial (preen) gland. This oily excrete contains persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which make the preen gland a potential route of depuration of POPs in birds. Black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) were studied during two periods of high energy demand: incubation and chick-rearing. A rather high concentration of POPs in preen gland tissue indicates that the preen gland...