An increase in dead cormorants, common murres, and brown pelicans has been observed in California. Experts think ocean temperatures are part of the problem. Photo: Unsplash//Daniel Lloyd Blunk-Fernández
Elevated numbers of California seabirds are dying from starvation, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The department released findings from an investigation into the cause of the dead birds — particularly Brandt’s cormorants, common murres, and brown pelicans — and found that starvation was the cause of death, and not an avian flu that has been found recently in the state’s elephant seal population.
The trend has been observed in birds along a range of the California coast from San Diego to Mendocino. The department said that 2025 was an “unusually good” reproductive year for the seabirds, which often leads to high juvenile mortality.
“Young seabirds are typically less experienced at catching prey and are less resilient to changes in food resource availability and adverse weather such as severe wind or winter storms,” the department’s statement reads.
According to a report in CBS 8 San Diego, warming ocean temperatures are driving bait fish deeper in search of cooler water temperatures. As a result, there is a decrease in fish available for birds that hunt on the ocean’s surface.
“Cormorants seem to be the most affected here in San Diego, along with pelicans,” JD Bergeron, CEO of International Bird Rescue, told CBS 8. “That is consistent with birds like pelicans that can only dive. Even the most athletic adult pelican can only dive about six feet deep, so if the food is deeper than that, you have a problem.”
Bergeron does think the increase in bird deaths will level off in time.
“As many die off, there becomes less competition and sometimes there’s a sort of balancing out there,” he said. “It’s certainly not a fun thing to watch, but eventually birds will either relocate themselves or there will be fewer numbers competing for the food that actually is still accessible.”
