Oil damages seabird feathers even in tiny quantities, study shows

Oil as thick as 0.1 to 3 micrometeres can affect affect seabirds feather structure, reports Mustafa Qadri

Seabirds exposed to oil are more likely to become waterlogged, cold, and less buoyant (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Water surfaces contaminated with thin amounts of crude oil is enough to damage seabirds feathers, a study has found.

Researchers from the University College Cork (UCC) said water surfaces containing crude oil as thin as 1 per cent the thickness of hair can rupture their feather structure and dampen their waterproofing.

The Marine Ecology Group at UCC collected feathers from Manx shearwaters, a seabird species thought to be at-risk from oil pollution.