16 Birds Threatened by the BP Gulf Oil Spill
From the lowly plover to the stately snowy egret, the Gulf Coast provides habitat for countless birds, and is significant for the preservation of many species, including several rare and endangered birds. See which species of birds the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could affect.
Also see sea turtles threatened by the BP Gulf oil spill.
By Dan Shapley
Birds drenched in oil are one of the most moving and iconic images that results from oil spills. Looks can be deceiving, both because as few as one-tenth of the birds affected by oil will ever wash up on shore, and because underwater plumes of oil could decimate marine ecosystems invisible to the human eye. That said, birds are among the most vulnerable creatures as the BP oil spill continues to spread in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to oiled feathers, which destroys the birds' natural waterproofing; birds ingest oil directly or as part of a contaminated diet; or may experience oiled nesting, wintering or migratory habitat. The American Bird Conservancy has mapped critical habitats along the Gulf Coast – designated by the federal or state governments, themselves or other groups, like the National Audubon Society. (Larger Gulf of Mexico bird habitat map.) The Gulf of Mexico, and its U.S. coastline particularly, is critical habitat for countless species of wildlife, including fish, marine mammals and birds. The food they find in the shallows, and the beach habitat are unique in the world. The birds highlighted here were identified by the American Bird Conservancy, National Audubon Society or federal agencies because they could be affected by the BP Gulf oil spill.
Piping Plover
Threatened throughout its range, which is restricted to North America, and endangered around the Great Lakes, the piping plover is a shorebird that could be severely affected by the oil spill this winter. Like other beach-nesting shorebirds, it is threatened not only by contamination of its food supply – insects, crabs and other invertebrates – but by direct contamination of its nesting habitat.
Roseate Spoonbill
After having rebounded in the century since plume-hunting was common, the roseate spoonbill is now threatened by the Gulf oil spill. And, despite decades of recovery, its population remains below that of the pre-hunting era, and it remains a "species of special concern" in both Louisiana and Florida, where the oil spill could have its greatest impact. Like other large wading birds, the roseate spoonbill feeds in marshes along the coast and nests in large rookeries, so their feeding and nesting habitat could be ruined by the oil slick.
Brown Pelicans
The hulking brown pelican has rightly received a lot of attention as the oil spill cleanup progresses. The state bird of Louisiana, they have just begun nesting on barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico, eat fish from nearshore waters, and can easily become oiled by the slick. Like many birds, brown pelicans were nearly wiped out by the use of the pesticide DDT, exposure to which made their eggs so brittle they were crushed as the birds tried to incubate them. The banning of the chemical led to a remarkable 40-year recovery, and in 2009 they were removed from the U.S. endangered species list.
Comments| Add a comment