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Considerations
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A bird covered in oil is unlikely to survive on its own. The oil gets stuck on the bird's feathers and will cause the feathers to mat and separate. To fix this, the bird will begin to preen itself in an attempt to align its feathers as it would under normal conditions. Feathers that are not perfectly aligned likely mean death, as that alignment is responsible for the bird's buoyancy and insulation.
Beyond the problems caused by the ingestion of any oil, the bird may become obsessed with cleaning and preening its feathers out of a survival instinct, and this focus will override natural behaviors like feeding and escaping predators, putting the bird at further risk.
Body Temperature
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Feathers are a bird's natural protection system against the extremes of the environment. Oil impairs that function. Birds with feathers matted by oil are at risk of being exposed to the variances of temperatures in their environments, which can result in hypothermia, or drops in body temperature; or hyperthermia, which is overheating.
Oil Poisoning
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When the bird instinctively tries to get rid of the oil on its feathers by preening, it often ingests bits of oil and residue, which damages the bird's digestive organs. This is the equivalent of poisoning. It can make the bird emaciated, dehydrated and overly stressed.
Cleaning Oil-Covered Birds
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Over the last three decades, the treatment and rehabilitation of birds affected by oil spills have improved. This success has come from increased understanding of the birds and the proper planning, organization, administration of strong professionals and volunteers. The rehabilitation process has been organized into five stages: identification and stabilization, removing the oil from the feathers, drying and restoring waterproofing, preparing the bird for release and the actual release.
Warning
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Cleaning an oil-covered bird without proper training can be dangerous to the bird. Many oiled birds die because well-meaning people, anxious to get oil off the bird, wash it immediately, resulting in death from stress. It is more important to give oiled birds the much-needed nutrition, hydration and medical treatment they need before they are washed.
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The Effects on Oil Spills on Birds
Oil spills of any size have devastating effects on birds. The International Bird Rescue Organization reports that millions of birds die each year because of oil leaked into the ecosystem. Regardless of whether the oil is runoff from streets and storm drains, is knocked off the deck of a sports boat or is spilled from the hull of a massive tanker, once a bird a comes in contact with oil it is very difficult for the bird to recover.