Thousands of migratory birds fell dead to the ground in the U.S.

It is believed that forest fires in various parts of the United States, along with climate change, may be the main causes of these birds’ deaths. One ornithologist notes that “seeing so many birds die is a national tragedy.”

Photo of several of the dead birds.

Thousands of migratory birds that travel south for the winter are dying in “unexplained” ways in various areas of the U.S.

This, which has been described as a “national tragedy” by experts, may be related to climate change.

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The species that are “falling from the sky” are mostly warblers, swallows and flycatchers, which have been found dead in massive numbers in New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Arizona and further north in Nebraska.

Martha Desmond, a professor in the biology department at New Mexico State University (NMSU), reported her concern to The Guardian website.

The expert points out that many of the bird carcasses had little muscle mass reserves, and some seem to have fallen from their beaks while flying.

“I picked up more than a dozen on a two-mile stretch in front of my house,” said Desmond.

“Seeing this and picking up these bodies and realizing how widespread it is, is personally devastating. To see so many birds of different species die is a national tragedy.”

Information provided suggests that many of these birds fly long distances annually to find suitable areas in the winter season.

Typically, they travel from the United States to certain parts of Central and South America.

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And they need to land every few days to rest before continuing their journey.

Continued fires in cities such as California, Oregon and Washington combined with the climate crisis may have altered the migration patterns of these birds.

This could have caused them to divert their common route to one where food and water were scarce. So it is also believed that they died of hunger and thirst.

The birds will be sent to the US Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory in Oregon for necropsies and to determine their cause of death, but it could take weeks to get results.
“This is devastating. Climate charge is playing a role in this.” Desmond said. “We lost 3 billion birds in the US since 1970 and we’ve also seen a tremendous decline in insects, so an event like this is terrifying to these populations and it’s devastating to see.”

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