Hundreds of Birds on Mexico's Pacific Coast Suspected to Have Died in an El Nino Heat Wave

Illustration of brown complicated birds in Mexico. (Wikimedia Commons/sussexbirder)

JAKARTA - The El Nino climate phenomenon is suspected to be the cause of the deaths of hundreds of wild birds along Mexico's Pacific coast, local authorities said last Thursday, as the country and its surrounding waters faced an intense heatwave.

About 300 wild birds of various species were found dead over the weekend along the coasts of the western Mexican states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacan, Jalisco, Sonora and Baja California Sur.

Authorities initially suspected bird flu. However, a joint investigation by the ministries of agriculture and the environment concluded that the most likely cause was warmer oceans due to El Nino.

This periodic natural phenomenon, which lasts for months and years, warms the Pacific Ocean, triggering tropical cyclones, floods and rainfall across the Americas and elsewhere.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) earlier this month declared an El Nino was under way, after three years dominated by a cooler La Nina pattern.

Meanwhile, scientists say this year is looking particularly worrying, as coupled with climate change, the current phase will see the world grapple with record high temperatures.

With warmer water, fish tend to swim lower in search of cooler waters, which prevents seabirds from successfully hunting for their food, the ministry said in a statement.

Seabirds were also found dead off the coast of Peru and Chile, Mexican authorities said.

It is known that at least six people have died in Mexico due to the intense heat this summer, according to the latest tally from the health ministry. The country is facing a heat wave with temperatures exceeding 43 Celsius (109.4 Fahrenheit) in parts of the country.