Wakki News The weird is fun
It could be described as a rain of sad news for bird lovers on social media.
An “unprecedented” number of migratory birds have been found dead across several states in western America.
The social media got flooded with videos which captured the vast number of birds lying dead on the ground in New Mexico and the neighbouring states.
Twitter user, @austieJFish, shared a clip on Monday and said: “I just recorded this up in Velarde, N.M. I’ve never seen anything like it.
“I’m told of other dead migratory birds found in Hernandez, Ojo Sarco and El Valle de Arroyo Seco.”
Some mentioned a tweet saying “hundreds of thousands, if not millions” of migratory birds have dropped dead out of sky, Daily Star reports.
The unexplained bird death has triggered wildlife experts to look into the possible causes.
Professor Martha Desmond, who studies bird at New Mexico State University’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology, has said “we’re losing probably hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of migratory birds”.
I just recorded this up in Velarde, N.M. I've never seen anything like it. I'm told of other dead migratory birds found in Hernandez, Ojo Sarco and El Valle de Arroyo Seco. https://t.co/GpeFZbyuW7 pic.twitter.com/XXVM4AZrDu
— Austin Fisher (@austieJFish) September 14, 2020
She told local news channel KRQE that insect-eating birds seem to be the most affected species in the incident.
Warblers, swallows and bluebirds are the three commonly found species among the dead birds.
She said: “A lot of these species, they’re already in trouble and they’re experiencing declines.
“And then to have this type of event occur on top of it, it’s devastating.”
A team of experts are working to figure out the cause and they believe the early cold snap played a big role in the mass deaths.
Prof Desmond added: “It could be that the weather moved it and pushed birds out early in Colorado where it just snowed like crazy.
“Some of them might not have been ready to migrate and so they died in place.”
She also mentioned that the ravaging wildfires in the western states of Oregon and California could have changed the birds’ migratory routes.
The experts urged the public to send them pictures of dead birds so they can get a fuller picture of what is happening in the southwest region.
Even viewers who shared the photos across social media platforms were also left heartbroken as they shared the messages.
One said: “This is the saddest thing I’ve ever seen. Have found a bunch in our yard in Velarde as well and I thought it was the dogs.”
Another wrote: “If you start to see large numbers of dead birds in your area, especially the southwest (NM, AZ, even W. Texas) please report it to your state Game & Fish Agency or USFWS.”
