An association of mangrove mutation, scarlet ibis, and mercury contamination in Trinidad, West Indies

An unusually high incidence of mutations in a local population of red mangroves on the island of Trinidad was associated with locally elevated mercury levels in the underlying sediments. This restricted mercury contamination surrounded a large roost of scarlet ibises. Molted feathers of ibises using the roost had high concentrations of mercury, which were probably acquired by the birds during their annual migration to wetlands in South America contaminated with run-off from gold mining operations. Decades of molted feathers accumulating around the roost apparently has created the local contamination problem.