Over 100 Brown Pelicans Reported Dead in Florida

Over the past two months, more than 100 brown pelicans have been reported dead in the Brevard County, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Thursday.

"The pelicans are emaciated and have heavy parasite counts, and, to our knowledge, other bird species have not been affected," said Dan Wolf, researcher from FWC, in a news release.

Brown pelicans are large birds that reach sizes up to 48 inches from head to tail, with a wingspan of 6-7 foot. The birds have a fairly long life, with reports of brown pelicans living to be nearly 43 years old.

In the past two months, many dead pelicans have been found on Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Melbourne, Indian Harbour Beach and the Sebastian River, Florida Today reported.

FWC said that its researchers have sent the samples obtained from the dead birds to National Wildlife Health Center for testing. However, testing of the samples hasn't yet shown a probable cause for the deaths of the birds.

One of the causes for the deaths might be botulism. "We suspect it may be botulism due to the warmer than average winter," Sue Small, director of the Florida Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary in Palm Shores had said earlier this week, reported Florida Today. Some 15 pelicans were treated at the hospital in the past few weeks, out of which just two survived.

But according to Wolf, botulism kills the victim quickly and so the birds wouldn't have signs of starvation.

FWC has urged people to report cases of any dead birds to the agency. 

"It is not advisable to handle any sick or dead birds; however, citizens should continue to report any dead or sick pelicans online at MyFWC.com/Bird or by calling the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922. The public may contact a local wildlife rehabilitative facility for assistance with sick or injured birds," FWC said in the news release.

Recently, many manatees were reported to be killed due to the Red Tide bloom in Florida. The sunshine state is also expected to see a rise of giant mosquitoes this summer.