OIL SPILL EFFECTS ON BIRDS By Bryson Sompa

Massive oil spills often make headlines because of their destructive impact on wildlife and the environment, but what many people don’t realize is that even small amount of oil –no more than a dime –sized drop can be deadly to birds. Understanding how oil affects birds can raise awareness of just how hazardous any oil spill or similar pollutions like the mines can be.

Oil spills are normally caused by large scale oil pollution disaster comes from obvious sources:   from the mines in the copper belt that pollute Kafue River, tanker leaks along the bridges and illegal dumping. Yet small oil spills leaks, such as a damaged jet ski, leaking motorboat, illegally dumped quart of motor oil or runoff from road. Pollution can be as deadly to birds, aquatic animals and other wildlife. Many of these small spills and slicks go unreported, often because only a small area, even just a few yards is affected. Yet even the smallest spill can have a fatal impact on the birds that come into contact with it. 

Birds affected by oil spills

the birds most affected by oil spills and petroleum contamination are those that spend a majority of their time at the sea, rivers or near the water, such as quills ,dusks, pelicans, auks, grebes, ferns and loons. If the oil reaches shore, however, all types of shore birds may be affected, as well as migratory songbirds that use polluted habitats as critical migration stopovers. Birds that feed from polluted areas, such as fish-hunting. Eagles and ospreys, can also feel the disastrous effects of oil  spills. In short, no bird species are entirely unaffected by this type of toxic pollution.

How this type of pollution affects birds

The most obvious way oil affects birds is by coating their plumage in sticky, greasy slime, birds feathers are, precisely aligned and designed to provide superb water proofing and insulation. Oil in the feather, however will mat them and misalign the tiny barbs that keep the feather properly positioned and even a small misalignment can cause birds to lose critical body heat, therefore exposing them to temperatures and weather conditions that can be fatal. Oiled birds also lose their natural buoyancy from air pockets created by proper feather alignment, and they can sink and drowning in polluted water. In order to remove the oil from their feathers, oiled birds will begin to preen excessively, even desperately. As they preen, they inadvertently ingest the toxic sludge, which will then poison their kidneys, liver, lungs, intestines and other internal organs causing slow and agonizing death. If they do not die from the oils toxicity, their excessive preening in a desperate attempt to realign their feathers and get clean again will lost them more energy than they can spare, and many oiled birds eventually succumb to exhaustion, dehydration or starvation.

Oil has more impacts on birds than just coating their plumage. An area subjected to a large oil spill such as the water in Kafueriver along the mines in the copper belt (chingola) becomes uninhabitable for large birds, aquatic animals other wildlife as food supplies are gradually killed off from the toxic, poisons and oil coating nesting areas destroys critical habitats. If birds are already at the time of the pollution, oil that’s coasts the eggs will suffocate the unhatched chicks, decimating the birds’ population. If eggs have not been laid but female adults ingest the oil, the pollution can cause thinner shells that are more subjected to being crushed and causing malformed chicks that will not survive, over time, small amounts of oil in the birds can be absorbed into food supplies, gradually building to deadly concentrations in birds that eat that food, whether it is plant life, insects, fish or other food sources.

Usually birds are believed to be indicator of free pollution ecosystem, if you compare the population dynamic of bird species and aquatic animals in the Kafue river in the copper belt along mines area and were the river crosses the road, the population is less as compared to some area were the river passes in the bush. This because the water along mining area are polluted with oil spills that intensively affects the birds. Also the water near the bridges has less population of birds because of some oil leaks from tankers and boats. 

How can we prevent this type disastrous situation from happening?

Joining organizations and related causes to awareness and taking part in action campaigns to stop causes of oil pollution. Wildlife biology/management society based at the copper belt university takes part in awareness campaigns by conserving wildlife through science and sensitization and related environmental issues.

Pelican being washed

Volunteering with cleanup effort directly by learning how to clean birds and affected habitats. As all know the beauty of the earth lies in our wild animals which include birds. As a nation we should be ready for such kind of disasters that wipe our precious birds.

Working to reduce our carbon footprints as birder to user fewer oil resources and lessen the need for refined oil.

Avoid unintentional contributions to pollution problems by keeping watercraft in peak condition without leaks and disposing of all oils properly. 

Share with us your experiences, comments and recommendations. Send emails to wildlifemgtsociety@gmail.com or brysonsompa@yahoo.com