Denver, CO – There is a strange phenomenon is taking where huge numbers of migratory birds are dying which began this month. Typically, birds don’t die in plain sight. But now, the birds are found on bike paths and roads, and driveways as if they fell from the sky. Often, people think there are too many birds. They are noisy and annoying. However, whether it’s a pigeon, crow, or pelican, the birds are part of nature and God’s divine creatures.
Largest Bird die-offs in Recent Memory
Researchers wonder why hundreds of thousands, if not millions of birds are dying across the U.S. This event is one of the largest bird die-offs in recent memory. Extreme heat and drought could be a reason. Another factor is plunging temperatures mixed in with snow early in the season. In addition, to tremendous wildfires engulfing the country causing migration patterns to change. Therefore, birds are inhaling too much carbon monoxide.
In addition to weather changes and the increase of wildfires, experts say sudden bird deaths impacting the species are due to huge declines in the population over the past 50 years. The birds’ habits are disappearing and climate change is transforming pre-existing ecosystems. The deaths have popped up in Colorado, with residents from Eagle County to Durango, reporting seeing many birds lying around reservoirs and bike paths, in front yards and roadways. Fortunately, the level of the catastrophic die-off has not been as extreme in other states. The mortalities are more in the dozens than in the thousands range. There are no dead birds in the metro Denver region.
Pewees, Bluebirds, Warblers
Karen Fox, a Colorado wildlife pathologist, said she noticed a trend with dying birds. Her lab saw a few western wood pewees, bluebirds, and warblers this month. Fox observed birds were in very poor body condition suggesting starvation/exposure. The bird population is declining because of changes in the ecosystem and climate change. There are other more traditional factors that come into play. These include enormous temperature drops that disrupt the bird migration routes. As a result, this forces the birds to fly into areas where water and food are limited.