| Summary: | We examined levels of five metals (Al, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb) in feathers of six species of birds of various food chains . In the primary consumers (Columba livia), the variability of the levels of all the metals studied was relatively high . Among the secondary (and higher-level) consumers, the variation was highest in the vole-eaters (Strix aluco, Buteo buteo), intermediate in the bird-eaters (Accipiter gentilis, A. nisus), and low in the fish-eaters (Pandion haliaetus) . Metal levels were relatively high, on the one hand, in C. livia (urban environment), and, on the other hand, in P. haliaëtus (aquatic habitat) . Cu and Pb levels were at their highest in samples near urban areas, Al and Cd in samples of aquatic food chains . The metal levels indicated that there were food web related differences in metal accumulation between species. However, a consistent tendency that levels were higher in the species of higher trophic levels than in those of the lower ones was not found.
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