Bird kill
Encyclopedia
Bird kill is a localized event resulting in the death of large numbers of birds at the same time.
adding to the stresses on wildlife. According to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center in the US over the past 10 years 175 mass deaths events exceeding 1,000 birds occurred.
Russian scientist Afanasiy Ilich Tobonov
researched mass animal deaths in 1990's and concluded that the mass deaths of birds and wildlife in the Sakha Republic were noted only along the flight paths of space rockets.
Scientific explanations
According to scientists, massive die offs of animals are not unusual in nature and happen for a variety of reasons including bad weather, disease outbreaks and poisonings, with pollution and climate changeClimate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
adding to the stresses on wildlife. According to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center in the US over the past 10 years 175 mass deaths events exceeding 1,000 birds occurred.
Russian scientist Afanasiy Ilich Tobonov
Afanasiy Ilich Tobonov
Afanasiy Ilich Tobonov was a Russian veterinarian who established that fuel from stages ejected from rockets launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome was the cause of death for livestock and wildlife....
researched mass animal deaths in 1990's and concluded that the mass deaths of birds and wildlife in the Sakha Republic were noted only along the flight paths of space rockets.
Examples
- In 2004 thousands of tiny birds fell from the sky over Chinese presidentPresident of the People's Republic of ChinaThe President of the People's Republic of China is a ceremonial office and a part of State organs under the National People's Congress and it is the head of state of the People's Republic of China . The office was created by the 1982 Constitution...
Hu JintaoHu JintaoHu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
's birthplace Taizhou, JiangsuTaizhou, JiangsuTaizhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu province of eastern China. Situated on the north bank of the Yangtze River, it borders Nantong to the east, Yancheng to the north and Yangzhou to the west....
. The event was seen as a worrying omenOmenAn omen is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change...
for his rule to come.
- January 15, 2009, in New York City. A large flock of Canada Geese was struck by US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549 was US Airways' scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina...
, disabling both of the Airbus A320Airbus A320The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
's engines and killing an unknown number of geese.
- 2009 in Franklin Township, Somerset County, New JerseyFranklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey-Communities of Franklin Township:The following are census-designated places, unincorporated enclaves, and historical communities located within Franklin Township...
. A culling with the bird poison (avicideAvicideAn avicide is any substance which can be used to kill birds.Commonly used avicides include strychnine, DRC-1339 and CPTH , and Avitrol . Chloralose is also used as an avicide...
) DRC-1339 received national attention after USDA employees dispensed the substance in Griggstown, New JerseyGriggstown, New JerseyGriggstown is an unincorporated area and a historic district within Franklin Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey. It was first settled around 1733.-Selected sites:* * Griggstown Quail Farm...
to kill an estimated 5,000 starlings that plagued feed lots and dairies on local farms. When "it began raining birds" community members became alarmed, unsure whether a toxin or disease was at work. Two property owners in the area reported collecting over 150 birds each from their land.
- December, 2010, in St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. More than 80 dead pigeons discovered.
- December, 2010, in Guelph, OntarioGuelph, OntarioGuelph is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Waterloo and west of downtown Toronto at the intersection of Highway 6 and Highway 7. It is the seat of Wellington County, but is politically independent of it...
. Geese and ducks panicked, some of them died shortly after the beginning of New Year's Eve fireworks at 8:10 pm, December 31, 2010.
- December 31, 2010, in Beebe, ArkansasBeebe, ArkansasBeebe, Arkansas is a city in White County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,930 at the 2000 census, making it the second most populous in the county after Searcy. The city is home to a branch campus of Jonesboro-based Arkansas State University. It was named for Roswell Beebe, a...
. 3,000 red-winged blackbirdRed-winged BlackbirdThe Red-winged Blackbird is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and Guatemala, with isolated populations in western El Salvador, northwestern Honduras, and...
s and European starlingEuropean StarlingThe Common Starling , also known as the European Starling or just Starling, is a passerine bird in the family Sturnidae.This species of starling is native to most of temperate Europe and western Asia...
s died. Arkansas state wildlife authorities first received reports on December 31, 2010, shortly before midnight. Further investigation revealed the birds fell over a one-mile area of Beebe, with no other dead birds found outside that concentrated zone. The birds showed signs of physical trauma, leading one ornithologist with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to speculate the blackbirds might have been killed by lightning, high-altitude hail or possibly fireworks. The birds were sent to laboratories in Georgia and Wisconsin for necropsies to determine the cause of death. On January 5, 2011 the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission confirmed that the incident was caused by a resident setting off professional-grade fireworksFireworksFireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
, startling the birds into a panic flight.
- January 3, 2011, in Pointe Coupee Parish, LouisianaPointe Coupee Parish, LouisianaPointe Coupee Parish, pronounced "Pwent Koo-Pay" and , is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is New Roads. As of 2000, the population was 22,763....
. 500 red-winged blackbirds and starlings died.
- January 5, 2011, in FaenzaFaenzaFaenza is an Italian city and comune, in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated 50 km southeast of Bologna.Faenza is noted for its manufacture of majolica ware glazed earthenware pottery, known from the name of the town as "faience"....
, Italy. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of turtle doveTurtle DoveThe European Turtle Dove , also known as Turtle Dove, is a member of the bird family Columbidae, which includes the doves and pigeons.-Distribution & Status:...
s fell dead from the sky.
- January 5, 2011, in FalköpingFalköpingFalköping is a locality and the seat of Falköping Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 15,821 inhabitants in 2005.-History:The city of Falköping most likely emerged during the 15th century but earlier the town was an important site of pilgrimage due to its 12th century church...
in Sweden. Between 50 and 100 jackdawJackdawThe Jackdaw , sometimes known as the Eurasian Jackdaw, European Jackdaw or Western Jackdaw, is a passerine bird in the crow family. Found across Europe, western Asia and North Africa, it is mostly sedentary, although northern and eastern populations migrate south in winter. Four subspecies are...
s died. Some are believed to have been struck by cars or trucks, but others showed no sign of such trauma.
- January 5, 2011, in ConstanțaConstantaConstanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....
, Romania. Eyewitnesses saw dozens of starlingStarlingStarlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent...
s falling from skies "like stones".
- October 22, 2011, in Wasaga Beach, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Thousands of dead loons, ducks, and seagulls washed ashore in this popular beach area, believed to have died from a botulismBotulismBotulism also known as botulinus intoxication is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulinum toxin which is metabolic waste produced under anaerobic conditions by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and affecting a wide range of mammals, birds and fish...
outbreak.
External links
- New and Ongoing Wildlife Mortality Events Nationwide in the USGS National Wildlife Health Center site.