An estimated 270 dead or ailing California brown pelicans have been found in recent weeks from Washington state to Baja California, according to the International Bird Rescue Research Center.

 

The bad news is that specialists do not know what causes the birds to become ill. The only thing that’s known is that they share symptoms of disorientation, fatigue and bruising, which can have various causes. What seemed stranger was the fact that some pelicans were found in unusual places far from their homes on roads, farm fields, alleys and backyards.

 

Spokeswoman for the nonprofit WildRescue Rebecca Dmytryk said “we’re a little freaked out by this. We’ve never seen anything like it.”

 

The International Bird Rescue Center, in Cordelia near Fairfield and in San Pedro in Southern California, is treating 75 birds, 15 of them received Thursday. Some of the birds have recovered. Specialists at the agency believe that natural toxins in algae called domoic acid or a virus or unpredictable weather conditions might have sickened the birds.

 

Samples from six pelicans showed evidence of domoic acid, which can cause deadly neurological effects, according to preliminary laboratory results from the University of Southern California. Also, water samples taken from waters off the Southern California coast also indicated low concentrations of domoic acid in the phytoplankton.

 

Dr. Heather Nevill, a veterinarian at the International Bird Rescue Research Center, said the results “are significant but do not explain all the signs we are seeing in the pelicans. We are seeing a number of conditions that are not typical of domoic acid toxicity or a domoic acid event.”

 

Domoic acid is a neurotoxin produced by microscopic algae. The chemical gets into the birds and sea mammals’ body by eating fish and shellfish that consume the algae. Six years ago, it caused mass deaths of local marine animal populations, but experts believe the current levels are too low to be the reason hundreds of dying pelicans have been found along the coast from Washington to Baja, Mexico.

 

More tests are scheduled in the next few weeks on pelican tissue and blood samples.

 

California brown pelicans were placed on the federal endangered species list in 1970, when high levels of the pesticide DDT caused their eggshells to thin and break. As a result, DDT usage was eliminated in Florida and the rest of the country. Therefore, the species started to recover. Last year, there was a baby boom on their Channel Islands breeding ground.

 

The brown pelican, along with the American white pelican, is also protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.