‘Hundreds Of Thousands’ Of Migratory Birds Dropping Dead In New Mexico, Scientists Warn

Topline

Hundreds of thousands of birds in New Mexico are dropping dead, wildlife experts in the state have warned, for reasons that are still unknown.

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Crucial Quote

Martha Desmond, a professor at New Mexico State University’s department of fish, wildlife and conservation ecology, told CNN, “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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The birds will be sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory in Oregon for necropsies which may help determine a cause of death, but results are expected to take weeks. Desmond told NBC News that the deaths could have been caused by wildfires in the West, adding, “There may have been some damage to these birds in their lungs.” Scientists are asking the public to flag any sightings of dead birds to an online database, and safely collect them for scientists to study.