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Spot on Gulls' Beaks Can Indicate Poisons
In the wake of a massive oil spill from the tanker Prestige, poisoned seagulls displayed smaller red spots on their beaks than healthy birds, according to a new study.
The finding could open the way for the birds, fish and lizards to be used as signposts for a host of environmental ills.
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The dark story of the Prestige began in November 2002, when the ship tore in half off the coast of northwestern Spain, spilling some 63,000 tons of oil into the Atlantic Ocean. The Spanish and French coasts were mired in a thick muck of heavy fuel oil. Thousands of sea birds perished, and local fishing fleets were grounded for months.
Today the cleanup crews are long gone, but scientists are still tallying the environmental damage.
