Lead paint kills rare Pacific seabirds

American Bird Conservancy renewed its efforts this week on behalf of Laysan Albatrosses on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. The rare seabirds unfortunately eat lead-based paint chips from 70 abandoned buildings, and the conservation group -- plus Conservation Council for Hawai'i and Hawai'i Audubon Society -- want Congress to provide funds to remove the paint.

“Curious Albatross chicks are ingesting the lead-based paint chips, which causes a variety of painful ailments and ultimately, a slow death,” said Dr. Jessica Hardesty Norris, Seabird Program Director for ABC. ...

In a paper to be released in the scientific journal Animal Conservation, Dr. Myra Finkelstein of the University of California Santa Cruz and co-authors, including scientists and managers from the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, concluded that the death of Laysan Albatross chicks from lead exposure on Midway has long-term consequences for the nesting population of Laysan Albatrosses there. By 2060, there may be as many as 190,000 fewer albatrosses due to lead poisoning. By contrast, removing lead-based paint now could increase the population by up to 360,000 by 2060.

Laysan Albatross courtesy of International Bird Rescue Research Center/Jay Holcomb

First lady visits Midway Atoll

Earlier this month, first lady Laura Bush visited Midway Atoll, participated in a Native Hawaiian ceremony for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument and planted native bunch grass that will benefit endangered Laysan Ducks. (Click on the map for a larger version.)

Bush said she has been an avid bird-watcher all her life, but she does not keep a checklist of birds she has seen, as some birders do. She noted that she had never before seen any of the three albatrosses she saw yesterday: the Laysan albatross, the rarer black-footed albatross and the only golden albatross in the country.

Asked if she had volunteered to make this trip, Bush did not hesitate in answering, "Absolutely."

Bush also said she supports the removal of lead paint from former Navy buildings; the paint chips poison the birds, prompting conservation groups like American Bird Conservancy to campaign for full and prompt funding of the clean-up effort.


Photo courtesy of Honolulu Star-Bulletin