dead birds

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Love Birds? You May Want to Remove Your Feeder

A large number of finches are dying from salmonellosis

(Newser) - Throughout the pandemic, health experts have discouraged people from gathering in large groups to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Now, wildlife biologists are advising that avian enthusiasts pitch in to keep birds from congregating in an effort to curb an uptick in cases of salmonellosis, a fatal, quick-spreading gut...

'Maybe Millions' of Birds Dying of Unknown Causes
Masses of Migratory Birds
Are Dropping Dead
in case you missed it
Sep 19, 2020 11:00 AM CDT

Masses of Migratory Birds Are Dropping Dead

Necropsies are underway in New Mexico

(Newser) - Hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of birds are dropping dead in New Mexico, alarming biologists who suspect wildfires could be playing a role. A large number of migratory birds were found dead at the US Army White Sands Missile Range and White Sands National Monument on Aug. 20, before more...

With Nowhere to Land, Geese Descend, Die On Toxic Water

Their usual landing site, several others were mostly frozen

(Newser) - A "perfect storm" of a late migration and a snowstorm left thousands of snow geese dead in the toxic waters of an old mine pit in Montana last week, authorities say. A spokesman for the Montana Resources mine company says witnesses described the scene as "700 acres of...

Dozens of Birds Fall From Sky in Boston Neighborhood

And no one knows why

(Newser) - Dozens of birds fell from the sky—and at least one house cat died—Thursday afternoon on a street in Boston, and no one knows why. The Boston Globe reports a resident called animal services when she noticed her cat was seriously ill and there were birds littering the ground....

Scientists May Have Answer for Birds' Gross Deformity

An alarming number of birds are being spotted with mangled beaks

(Newser) - Just before the start of the 21st century, scientists spotted chickadees in Alaska with grossly deformed beaks that seriously impeded the animals' ability to do the most basic tasks for survival, such as eating and grooming. With sightings on the rise—throughout the lower 48 states and in chickadees as...

There's Something Seriously Wrong With Our Seabirds

Seabirds that soared for 60M years crashed in just 60 years

(Newser) - There are nearly 350 species of seabirds roaming the planet, ranging from the wandering albatross (with the world's largest wingspan) and the child-size emperor penguin (the only bird to breed in Antarctic winters) to tiny storm petrels that dance on the water as they eat, reports the Guardian . But...

Thousands of Dead Birds Keep Washing Ashore on West Coast

Cassin's auklet deaths mystify scientists

(Newser) - From California to Washington state, thousands of dead birds have been turning up on the shoreline, and scientists don't know what to make of it. It's not all kinds of birds that are dying: just a species of small birds known as Cassin's auklets, the Los Angeles ...

Why Birds Are Igniting in Midair Over California

Cleaner energy sometimes comes at a cost

(Newser) - A cutting-edge solar technology in California's Mojave Desert may have a bit too much cut. Wildlife officials say they've counted one bird being scorched to death every two minutes by intensely focused rays of light at the BrightSource Energy plant, considered the largest solar thermal power plant of...

Windows Kill Up to 10% of America's Birds Each Year

Study: That's as many as 988M birds

(Newser) - After cats, what's the second biggest killer of birds? Windows. A new report finds that between 365 million and 988 million US birds, or as much as 10% of the country's bird population, die each year after flying into windows. And interestingly, skyscrapers account for less than 1%...

Die-Off of Manatees, Dolphins Baffles in Florida

Hundreds have died since last July in Indian River Lagoon; pelicans also hard-hit

(Newser) - Hundreds of manatees, dolphins, and pelicans are dying in Florida's Indian River Lagoon, and authorities don't know why. Some of the manatees—111 have perished since last July—have died so quickly, they still have food in their mouths, Wired reports; they appear to have died from shock...

Cats Kill Billions of Birds a Year
 Cats Kill Billions of Birds a Year 
new study
Jan 30, 2013 8:56 AM CST

Cats Kill Billions of Birds a Year

And even more mammals: study

(Newser) - Forget the adorable YouTube videos—cats are cold-blooded killers, or so says a new study that attempted to quantify the toll felines take on birds and other wildlife. NPR has the numbers: Of the estimated 84 million pet cats owned by Americans, researchers determined as many as 47 million are...

Peru: Climate Change Behind Dead Animals?

Dead dolphins, birds could have been affected by warming waters

(Newser) - Peru may finally have an answer for the 5,000 birds and nearly 900 dolphins that have died on its northern coast: climate change. As waters warm, food supply is disrupted, says the country’s deputy environment minister. A weather expert also confirms warmer waters due to El Niño...

Ark. Blackbird Die-Off Was Deliberate

Officials say fireworks set off in roost in Beebe, Arkansas

(Newser) - The hundreds of dead blackbirds that rained down on a rural Arkansas town for the second New Year's Eve in a row weren't so much omens of the apocalypse as victims of crime, reports Fox News . The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is blaming human interference for the...

Hitchcock's Birds Mystery Solved

Kamikaze California seabirds were poisoned, researchers say

(Newser) - The real-life mystery that inspired Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 thriller The Birds has been solved, researchers say. Hitchcock is said to have largely based the film on a bizarre incident in 1961, when flocks of crazed seabirds slammed into homes in California's Monterey Bay. Researchers now believe that, rather...

1,500 Birds Crash, Die in Utah
 1,500 Birds Crash, Die in Utah 
Dec 15, 2011 2:23 PM CST

1,500 Birds Crash, Die in Utah

But 3,000 survive the crash

(Newser) - Storm clouds gathered over Utah on Monday, but what wound up raining down from the sky were birds. Thousands of eared grebes dived into roads and parking lots across Cedar City and St. George, apparently mistaking the flat surfaces for water, the LA Times reports. About 1,500 birds died...

USDA: We Poisoned Those 200 Dead Birds

Mass animal death in South Dakota has less-than-mysterious cause

(Newser) - The latest mass animal death—hundreds of dead birds found Monday in South Dakota—is no mystery, reports the Huffington Post : The US government killed them. When more than 200 starlings turned up dead, cold weather was initially suspected as the culprit. But now the USDA has admitted to poisoning...

Experts: Bird, Fish Die-Offs No Mystery

Similar wildlife die-offs happen all the time, 'under the radar'

(Newser) - Recent mass deaths of birds and fish around the world have been getting plenty of press, but these die-offs are nothing out of the ordinary, let alone a sign of the apocalypse, experts tell AP . Federal records show that mass wildlife die-offs happen about every other day, and experts believe...

Now There Are Dead Birds in Louisiana, Too

Five hundred found on highway

(Newser) - Okay, this is just getting creepy: An estimated 500 red-winged blackbirds were found lying dead or dying along a quarter-mile stretch of Louisiana highway yesterday, the Advocate reports. A number of the bodies have been shipped to labs in Georgia and Wisconsin for testing, but the rest were left lying...

In the Case of Thousands of Dead Birds, a Culprit?

Birds likely crashed after flying low to avoid fireworks, say investigators

(Newser) - Investigators probing the mysterious death of thousands of birds in a small Arkansas town believe New Year's Eve fireworks were likely the cause. Residents of Beebe say loud explosions were heard shortly before more than 3,000 blackbirds began falling from the sky, the BBC reports. The few that survived...

Thousands of Dead Birds Fall From Sky in Arkansas

Stumped officials speculate that weather, stress could be cause

(Newser) - The town of Beebe, Ark., is home to about 4,500 people—and about the same number of dead birds. State wildlife officials went door-to-door today to collect the creatures from rooftops, trees, and yards. Officials estimate that between 4,000 and 5,000 birds—mostly blackbirds—began tumbling from...

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