Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!news.cs.indiana.edu!samsung!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!news.funet.fi!ra!misan From: misan@ra.abo.fi (Annika Forsten DC) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: Bird War Victims Message-ID: Date: 28 Jan 91 15:25:23 GMT References: <11153@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu> Sender: misan@ra.abo.fi Organization: Abo Academy, Finland Lines: 35 In-reply-to: mike@uhunix1.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu's message of 28 Jan 91 04:02:05 GMT In article <11153@uhccux.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu> mike@uhunix1.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (Mike W. Burger) writes: > I have seen only one type of oiled bird from the slicks > in the Persian Gulf. Who knows what species of sea birds are > at risk in that part of the world? Are there any species that > are both endangered and found only in that area, thus subject > to extinction danger from war-related activities? The bird (or birds as they have shown several) all seems to be (ordinary) Cormorants. The Socotra Cormorant also lives in the area. I do not know if it is present in the whole gulf, but I know that a colony of several thousands breed outside Dubai (UAE). They should be breeding at the moment so hopefully they are out of danger, if the oil doesn't spread too much south. Bahrain is also good for birds, with lots of wintering shorebirds. There are very good shorebird sites in The UAE as well. These mostly seem to be lagoons or bays, they will be destroyed if the oil reaches them and no atempt is made to close of the mouth of the site. I don't know much about the birds in Kuwait. I think there was an article in Birding World a few years ago, but I haven't been able to check it up yet. I remember the writer felt that many of the sites were already being destroyed. I'll try to find the article and let you know. In general the coasts over there are rather empty (of birds), so the islets on which the birds breed and those lagoons are the ones in danger. Luckily most of the breeding birds have not arrived yet. Hopefully they'll manage to do something about the oil before they do arrive. Breeding birds include gulls and terns. Most of the shorebirds I think are there for the winter only. I'll write more when I've had time to look it up. Annika Forsten, Finland