Thousands of Dead Seabirds Washed Up on Australian Coastline, Scientists Baffled

australia - Thousands of dead seabirds have washed up on the beaches of the east coast of Australia, leaving scientists puzzled about the cause of death, as reported by The Guardian.

Every year, approximately 20 million shearwaters migrate 15,000 kilometers to and from Australia. However, this year, beachgoers have found an unusually high number of carcasses of this bird species. Since October, thousands of dead birds have washed up on the beaches of East Australia.

It is unclear whether these deaths are normal or a case of mass mortality. "There is a perception that mortalities are increasing, but it is very difficult to say whether that is actually the case or simply a result of increased awareness of animal welfare among people," says Professor Lauren Roman, who studies shearwaters at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania.

In 2013, a significant mass mortality event occurred where millions of seabirds died due to an abnormal heatwave in the northern Pacific Ocean. The current reports, however, do not indicate a mortality of that magnitude. The bird flu strain H5N1 was also not detected in the washed-up shearwaters.

Of concern is the fact that the washed-up birds were clearly emaciated, indicating that the animals had difficulty finding sufficient food. "We believe that these birds did not have enough food, and thus began their migration with insufficient reserves," Roman added.