And getting odder....
Inexplicable bird and fish kills in Arkansas
By Theresa Ann White
Published Jan 3, 2011
Read more at Suite101: Inexplicable bird and fish kills in Arkansas
Inexplicable bird and fish kills in Arkansas
In a small area of Arkansas, thousands of birds and fish mysteriously die within a few days.
National attention focused on Arkansas as 2011 opened to massive kills of bird and fish within a 125-mile radius. Wildlife officials are calling the two events unrelated yet the causes of these deaths – one of warm-blooded mammals and the other cold-blooded - are still speculative.
Red-winged Blackbird Deaths
Sad and bizarre news originated from Beebe, Arkansas shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve 2010. Initial reports stated that 1,000 blackbirds had fallen from the sky, dead. Speculation about the cause of the birds’ strange demise mentioned hail, lightning strikes and firework trauma as possible reasons.
As daylight provided a better view of the situation in Beebe, the reports grew more specific. Now there were 2,000 dead birds and most were Red-winged Blackbirds. On January 2, the Science News blog included a report with an embedded CNN video. The numbers and species of birds increased dramatically.
Reporting with video footage from the city of Beebe, the tally had risen to 5,000 dead birds, mostly Red-winged Blackbirds but including other unnamed species. The video showed littered streets and lawns and crews in environmental hazard suits working to clean up the brightly feathered carcasses. An interview with one resident gave an inkling of the concern when he stated he would not allow his children to play in his yard until the birds were removed.
In the most recent CNN report on January 3, Keith Stephens, a representative from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission stated it was “possible” that the cause of death for the 5,000 birds was a “heart attacks,” brought on by fireworks near the birds’ roosting area.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is sending dead birds to the state Livestock and Poultry Commission and the National Wildlife Health Center lab in Wisconsin for analysis.
About Red-winged Blackbirds
The Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), is one of the most abundant birds in North America, and quite adaptable to the human environment, according to Cornell University’s Ornithology Lab. Typically, the species will gather in colonies near agricultural areas during winter. They are considered a pest by some because they eat grains, are noisy and messy. BirdWeb, hosted by the Seattle (WA) Audubon Society, notes that, “many Red-winged Blackbirds have been killed to limit crop predation and nuisance impacts.” About 49 percent of the land in Beebe is designated for agricultural use, according to the City of Beebe Comprehensive Development Plan.
Images
During other seasons, these birds usually colonize wetlands and like to nest near water among cattails, bulrushes and other vegetation. Their diet consists mostly of seeds although they feed on a variety of flies including dragonflies and mayflies.
Drum Fish Kill in Arkansas River
The mystery deepened as new reports from January 1 emerged of vast numbers of fish turning up dead in the Arkansas River in Logan County near Ozark, about 125 miles from Beebe. Like the bird kill, the dead fish are species-specific. Hundreds of thousands of drum fish are littering the river, covering a 20-mile stretch, according to an AP News report.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the state’s Department of Environmental Quality are investigating the cause of the fish kill, and will deliver a small number of surviving fish to the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff for laboratory testing. The Arkansas Department of Health has advised residents not to eat the fish.
Keith Stephens, again representing the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, pointed to disease rather than pollution as the cause of death in a CNN report of January 2. Stephens based his preliminary conclusion on the species-specific factor, stating that "If it was from a pollutant, it would have affected all of the fish, not just drum fish."
About Drum Fish
There are over two hundred species of drum fish, also known as “croakers,” for their ability to vocalize like a frog when out of water. They also produce grunting sounds in water. Drum are carnivorous bottom dwellers. The freshwater drum is found in lakes and rivers across America, and like the Red-winged Blackbird, is the most profuse of its species in the country. Many anglers complain when catching drum since they are not the best-eating game fish. While primarily bottom feeders, drum will rise toward the surface to eat insects and minnows, who have been attracted to a light source. Dish, in general, are similar to canaries in a mine; they are indicators of toxins in the water they inhabit.
Sources
Associated Press. Dead fish cover 20-mile section of Arkansas River. (2011, January 1). ABC24.com.
City of Beebe, Arkansas, Beebe Planning Commission. (2006). Comprehensive development plan Beebe, AR.
CNN. (Producer). (2011). Mysterious bird deaths in Arkansas. [Web video].
CNN. (Producer). (2011). Why are fish, birds dying in Arkansas. [Web video].
CNN Wire Staff. (2011, January 2). Massive fish kill blankets Arkansas River.
KY2 Local News. Fish turn up dead in Logan County. (2011). [Web].
Red-winged Blackbird. (2009). The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
Red-winged Blackbird. (2008). Seattle Audubon Society, Birdweb.
Published in: science & nature red-winged blackbird freshwater drum fish beebe ar fish kill
Copyright Theresa Ann White. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
Read more at Suite101: Inexplicable bird and fish kills in Arkansas
Inexplicable bird and fish kills in Arkansas
More than 1,000 blackbirds fall out of Arkansas sky
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