The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service has been posting statistics on birds affected by the BP oil spill for months, but in its most recent report it broke down bird victims by species for the first time.
According to the document, wildlife officials have encountered over 7,600 birds distressed because of oil; 4,600 of the birds were deceased.
The report broke down the birds into 85 different species. At the top of the list of affected birds was the Laughing Gull, of which over 3,000 birds were found dead, and the Brown Pelican, which suffered over 820 documented deaths.
The blog Round Robin, which is run by the Cornel Department of Ornithology, applauded the new data, but also expressed concern at the number of species, writing:
Among the definitely oiled species are some saddening surprises, such as an Eastern Kingbird, a Barn Swallow, three Mourning Doves, and two Ospreys. Even though the great majority of waterfowl have yet to arrive on the Gulf
Four Purple Martins and 3 Northern Cardinals were also included in the tally, a sobering reminder that the oil spill affects bird lovers everywhere.
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shameful