Not Funny: Divebombing Pelicans May Be Sick
Written by 991KBU on May 11, 2018
You may have seen that amusing Internet video of two brown pelicans divebombing the Pepperdine University graduation ceremony two weeks ago.
That may have been the first local sign that an epidemic is sweeping through the California Brown pelican population.
Up and down the coast of Southern California … the number of sick and dying brown pelicans has surged for unknown reason in the past week.
In San Pedro … more than 25 pelicans have been brought to a wildlife rehabilitation center.
The big birds are showing signs of starvation, hypothermia and anemia.
In the past … we’ve seen California brown pelicans being sickened by domoic acid.
That toxic acid is occasionally produced by algae blooms … and when fish eat the algae . the pelicans eat the fish and get sick.…
But biologists say this batch of sick birds doesn’t show the neurological problems typical of domoic acid outbreaks such as spasms or inability to hold their heads up.
