'Shaggy' the shag dies after being coated in oil

'Shaggy' the shag was 95 per cent covered in oil and died overnight.

'Shaggy' the shag has died overnight after being covered in oil in Tauranga Harbour this week.

Shaggy was found and recovered by Bay of Plenty Times staff on Monday night and was taken to the Oropi Native Bird Rescue Sanctuary to be looked after.

Chrissy Jefferson, who runs the sanctuary, said Shaggy was doing well on Tuesday night and she was very sad to find him dead this morning.

It was not unusual for birds to die two or three days after being rescued when the shock got too much for them, she said.

The shag found covered in oil on Monday was doing well on Tuesday night. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

"He was doing really really well but quite often on day two or three they take a backward turn."

Birds could not be cleaned as soon as they were rescued because of the shock, she said, so Shaggy was due to be cleaned today.

"He was easily 95 per cent covered in oil. It was just dripping off him... We don't know how much he absorbed through his skin.

"He was so heavily oiled there's a certain amount of absorption that will get into their system."

Ms Jefferson hoped Shaggy would be taken to Massey University for an autopsy to find out the affect of the oil and what exactly caused his death.

She said it was very upsetting to see oil on the Tauranga foreshore again after the Rena disaster.

"It's a totally different situation but the affects are the same."