Biologists are puzzled over the brown pelican die-off. Here's how you can help

Since hundreds of brown pelicans were found starving to death along California’s coastline this year, scientists have been trying to get to the bottom of the crisis.

One leading theory is that fish, possibly because of oceanic conditions, were traveling too deep for the big-billed seabirds to catch.

Starting in April, sick pelicans were being brought to wildlife centers half their weight, or maimed from entanglements in fishing gear, the apparent outcome of desperately searching for food.

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With the die-off subsiding by mid-July, biologists have been able to shift from triage mode to studying the carcasses for clues and tracking the surviving seabirds.

With this year’s die-off being the second pelican starving crisis in as many years, wildlife centers are trying to prep for another event.

“We're hoping that it doesn't happen again, but we are cautiously ready and preparing in case it does,” said Debbie McGuire, executive director of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach.

Tracking survivors 

Starving pelicans nursed back to health were released with identification bands on their legs.

This is where the public can help out. Some have been marked with metal alloy bands used by the United States Geological Survey’s Bird Banding Lab.

By reporting sightings of banded birds to the USGS — which you can do here — biologists can better understand the behaviors and migratory patterns of pelicans and other seabirds.

Staff at the International Bird Rescue assist a sick brown pelican.

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Ariana Gastelum

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International Bird Rescue

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“If you see any banded pelican, please report back and let us know,” said McGuire of the Huntington Beach center. “Where are they going? How are they doing? How long have they been out there?”

McGuire's center has started to attach transmitters to some of the pelicans released from their care that will use radio signals to pinpoint their location. These pelicans will have white bands on them.

A donor has given the center money to place a tracking antenna atop its building in Huntington Beach.

International Bird Rescue, which has wildlife centers in Los Angeles and San Francisco, is also hoping to learn more about the whereabouts of pelicans they’ve tagged with blue bands. You can report sightings of blue-banded pelicans here.

“We can find out how far they can travel, how quickly,” said Rebecca Duerr, research director at International BirdRescue's wildlife clinics. “How long do they live after their release?”

But as you try to make out ID numbers on the pelicans, keep your distance. Pelicans will snap at humans who venture too close.

Avian flu?

The center in Huntington Beach has released all of its surviving birds except about a dozen still in recovery. The International Bird Rescue has a few dozen left in its care, mostly those injured from fishing gear.

No more pelicans are coming in starving, but Duerr says that they’re still seeing a higher-than-normal rate of injured birds for reasons unknown.

Whatever conditions were causing mass starvation have quieted for now, but bird biologists are not resting easy. Aside worrying about a future similar event, the spectre of avian influenza hitting the pelican population is ever-present.

“The strain has hit so many different species that it's actually a conservation concern,” Duerr said.

How to donate

Wildlife centers took a financial hit during the mass starvation of pelicans, with much of their money going to treating the patients with vitamins and IV fluids and most of all, food.

Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center, where McGuire said fish for the influx of pelicans was costing $10,000 a month, is accepting donations here.

You can give to the International Bird Rescue here.