Veterinary Viewpoints

Abstract

Question #1: I am very concerned about the oil spill in Valdez, Alaska, and the damage it has done to the wildlife. Could you please enlighten me in regards to how feathers protect the bird and how oil can damage the feathers?

G. Carlos, New York

Answer: Feathers protect the bird by acting as an insulation and maintaining body temperature.

In birds, normal body temperature varies between 102 and 109 degrees F and any disruption of the feathers will cause the loss of body heat. Oil interferes with the barbules and causes loss of contour of the feathers, rendering them useless for insulation. Robert B. Altman, D. V.M.

Franklin Square, New York

Answer: Feathers provide a number of essential functions in birds. They cover the body and offer protection from physical trauma. They add airfoil surface area, improving flight. Feathers are modified for display, concealment, and courtship and, most important, feathers provide a coat of waterproof insulation conserving the bird's body heat and protecting the bird from the ambient temperature, which at times can be 70 to 80 degrees F below the bird's body temperature.

Waterproofing and insulation are functions of feather structure. The barbs, barbules, and hooks that make up the structure of the vane of the feather, when joined together, make an impervious surface that water will bead up on. The down feathers, lying under the coverlet feathers, trap air and thus create a layer of efficient insulation.

Oil and feathers do not mix. This is true of petroleum, cooking oils, ointments, skin oils, or any other oily substances. The oil breaks down the structure of the feather resulting in a loss of waterproofing. Instead of beading up, water penetrates the feather, wetting the bird to the skin, resulting in chilling, hypothermia, and in the case of the pelagic ( ocean living) species, rapid death.

Oils must be prevented from contacting feathers. We must not spill petroleum. We must not have birds loose in the kitchen when oils or fats are being used. Medications used on birds should be water-based, not oily. We should not use hand creams or lotions before handling birds and, as a courtesy, we should powder our hands before handling them.

James M. Harris, D.V.M.

Oakland, California

Answer: Among the many functions of the feathers of birds, insulation for the conservation of heat is undoubtedly the most significant in terms of survival. This important function sadly is abruptly brought to light in the devastating scenario of an oil spill disaster such as in Alaska. Feathers that once were able to allow flight, insulate the bird and provide waterproofing capacities, are quickly rendered useless due to the overpowering, destructive nature of oils.

Oils disrupt the finely tuned structure of the feathers, thus allowing significant bodily heat loss and water penetration to the skin itself. Hypothermia rapidly...

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