The Tar Creek Superfund Site (TCSS) is among the most heavily contaminated areas in the United States with regard to lead, cadmium and zinc. Mining in the TCSS from 1900 to the 1960 has left massive piles of gravel or chat on the landscape as well as subterranian caverns that continue to release contaminated water to the surface. Our reasearch team has documented elevated levels of heavy metals in the blood and feathers of songbirds living in and around the TCSS. Current work will help us understand the mechanisms of heavy metal exposure at work in this system, and may offer ways to reduce the amounts of heavy metals the birds ingest.