As bird hunters begin thinking about the start of the fall season, many may be wondering what impact the oil spill will have on the populations of these animals. There are three main concerns involved with the recent spill, the first being oil contamination of the birds themselves. When oil gets on the birds' feathers, it destroys their natural weatherproofing and can weigh the animals down. Additionally, because so many of the birds spend the majority of their time in the water, only about a tenth of the dead animals will actually wash up on shore, making it difficult to fully assess the spill's impact.
The second concern is that the oil has and will continue to affect the birds' habitat. This is especially important given that summer is the birds breeding and nesting time. Oil has the potential of affecting the birds breeding in two ways: first, because it can contaminate the nests and second, because birds will be forced to move to less than ideal breeding grounds to escape the oil.
The final concern is that the birds' food supply will become contaminated with oil, thus affecting their ability to survive as well as feed their young. There are 25 Important Bird Areas along the coast, some of which have already been reached by the spill. It is important that clean-up efforts begin immediately to mitigate the impact and so that the populations of these animals aren't devastated.
Addtional Resources:
American Bird Conservancy (Map Of Globally Important Bird Areas Most At Risk)
16 Birds Threatened by the BP Gulf Oil Spill (The Daily Green)
