Impacts of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Coastal Alabama Waterfowl, December 2010, January 2011.

The explosion and sinking of the Macondo drilling platform resulted in one of the largest oil spills in history but with largely uncertain ecological consequences to date. Among the lesser studied but potentially greater concerns are population and toxicological effects of the spill on migratory birds, including many economically-important waterfowl that overwinter in the area. Here, we present an analysis of oil effects on coastal diving ducks, specifically greater/lesser scaup (Aythya spp), bufflehead (Bucephala albeola), and redhead (Aythya americana).