Birds Washing Ashore in Florida Sparks Concern: ‘That’s A Lot’

An unusually large number of birds are reportedly washing ashore in Florida as the Sunshine State battles stormy weather conditions that could endanger local wildlife.

Veterinarian April Greer of Florida Wildlife Hospital told Orlando CBS affiliate WKMG in a report published on Friday that “a lot” of dead and injured birds had been found on Florida beaches in recent days, while speculating that strong winds could be a reason for the influx.

“Our current number within the last 48-72 hours has been 76. So that’s a lot,” Greer said. “It’s normally pelagic birds who spend their lives flying out over the water. For them to come inland is very detrimental to them and they don’t tend to do well in a rehabilitation center.”

Greer went on to say that she was “not concerned” about the possibility of the birds having contracted avian flu. She also said that she would conduct “necropsies or autopsies on all of them” to determine why the birds were washing ashore if Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials did not.

Beachgoer Michael O’Meally told the station that although a small number of dead birds frequently appear on beaches following storms, he had spotted an unusually large number of birds in recent days.

“When there is a storm at sea, the winds mess with the way they fly,” O’Meally said. “The rough water messes with the way they can eat. So they wash up here exhausted.”

Newsweek reached out for comment to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission via email on Friday night.

If weather is a factor in the purported bird deaths and injuries, the situation could soon deteriorate further due a tropical disturbance off Florida’s Atlantic coast. The National Hurricane Center predicted on Friday morning that the turbulent system had a 60 percent chance of forming into a tropical storm.

Several warnings associated with the potentially hazardous conditions had already been issued by Friday afternoon, including a high surf advisory, a small craft advisory, a rip current statement and a warning for inexperienced swimmers to stay out of impacted waters.

Multiple areas of Florida experienced heavy rainfall and flooding earlier this month, with the deluge breaking records in some communities. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency after streets were flooded and residents were forced to evacuate their homes in parts of the state.

While stormy weather could be causing some birds to wash ashore, most birds are able to fly around storms, seek shelter or otherwise ride out severe meteorological events. Seabirds have also been observed successfully flying through hurricanes at times, according to Audubon Florida.

In August, Hurricane Idalia produced an unexpected expansion of Florida’s flamingo population due to the fierce storm blowing the migrating birds off course and into the Sunshine State.