| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 107487 | Science & Justice | 2008 | 4 Pages |
Abstract
We measured stable hydrogen isotope ratios in the primary feathers of two subspecies of goldfinches, confiscated by the Police and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) on suspicion that they had been illegally taken from the wild. We found significant differences in the δ2H values of the two subspecies indicating that they were sourced from different geographical regions. Our results correlated with isotopic precipitation maps and with the known distribution of the two subspecies of goldfinch. We believe that this technique could be used by law enforcement agencies to determine the origin of birds in cases where the species or subspecies involved are geographically distinct.
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Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemistry
Analytical Chemistry
Authors
Andrew Kelly, Richard Thompson, Jason Newton,