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Although there are abundant data on heavy metal contamination in the feathers of seabird species and birds of prey, relatively few studies have addressed the use of passerine birds as indicators of point-source contamination. Concentrations of three essential elements (Al, Zn, and Cu) and two toxic metals (Cd and Pb) were determined in the outer tail feathers of great and blue tits (Parus major and Parus caeruleus), two small insectivorous passerines, at a presumed polluted site (in an urban area close to household waste incinerators) and at a reference site (in a nature reserve). For the great tit, both Cd and Cu levels were significantly higher at the polluted site than in the nature reserve. For the blue tit, Cd, Pb, and Cu levels were significantly higher at the polluted site than at the reference site. There were striking differences in metal levels between blue and great tits inhabiting the same polluted site: lead, zinc …