Another sign of ecological collapse: scientists who have investigated the mass die-off of songbirds in the southwest {19.09.2020} have concluded that the migratory birds died of long term starvation. Necropsies showed 80% of the carcasses recovered showed typical signs of starvation such as kidney failure, blood in the intestines and shrunken flight muscles. Cold weather contributed to the mass mortality. Birds were reported dropping out of the sky in New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Arizona and Nebraska during this migration season. Citizens encouraged to report dead migratory birds, reported 10,000 deaths; estimates are that hundreds of thousands of birds died. [photo credit: U. New Mexico]
The first reports came from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in September. Birds were seen in a disoriented state, flying into cars and buildings. Unable to fly away, many were eaten by predators. This mass starvation is definitely a long term phenomenon aince major flight muscles wasted away. Tests were conducted for toxins such as pesticides and wildfire smoke, and bacterial or viral infections. None were detected. Some scientists were reluctant to attribute the emaciation to changes in climate brought about by fossil fuel burning, but extreme weather events are more prevalent in a climate altered world. Most of the birds that perished were seed and berry eaters, that migrate from the tundra regions of the far north to Central and Southern America. They need to stop for refueling several times during their grueling migrations even in the best of times. The tragic Sixth Extinction carries on.