California Pelicans Released Back Into the Wild After Hundreds Found Starving

A group of California brown pelicans found starving off the Northern California coast are returning to the wild following weeks of rehabilitation.

Wildlife rescue crews have taken in hundreds of emaciated brown pelicans up and down the coast since April, including in Bay Area roosting grounds like Alameda Point. On Thursday, bird rescuers brought eight pelicans to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge at Fort Baker in Sausalito. There, the pelicans spread their 7-foot wingspans and took off to the skies.

“With these releases, we’re sending them home to the ocean healthy and in great condition to fly wherever they need to go,” said Dr. Rebecca Duerr, director of research and veterinary science at International Bird Rescue, in a press release.

Over the last two months, International Bird Rescue in Sausalito has been helping take nearly 340 brown pelicans — a fully protected species — discovered between Monterey and Santa Cruz to the organization’s wildlife rescue centers. Of the eight birds released Thursday, the longest stay in Bird Rescue’s care was 39 days, and the shortest was 15.

“The birds come in with a variety of challenges. The one thing they all have in common is starvation and anemia,” JD Bergeron, chief executive officer of International Bird Rescue, told KQED. “Some birds require medication; some require veterinary surgical interventions because of injuries they’ve endured from trying more desperate attempts to find food.”

Bergeron was one of three to release the birds, alongside Bird Rescue’s Russ Curtis and Cheryl Reynolds.

Experts are still baffled by the die-off, but theories behind the tragedy include weather patterns affecting the food supply and making the water murkier, making it more difficult for the birds to see and catch fish.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is investigating the onslaught of hurt pelicans. The issue mirrored a similar case in 2022 when nearly 800 starving pelicans were rescued following severe storms in California that year. Of those rescued, about 394 pelicans returned to the wild.

Bird Rescue has a banding program that will allow its researchers to monitor how the birds do in the wild after their release.

As food on beaches has become harder to come by, brown pelicans have shown up in some unusual places, like ponds, backyards and even Giants stadium.

“Fans were excited to see that bird, but we knew that the bird was experiencing challenges and disorientation, that’s not normal behavior,” Bergeron said. “People are seeing more pelicans in places they don’t normally hang out, and that is the number one sign” that there is a problem.

Even as some birds have recovered and are released, more pelicans are still showing up.

“We can’t keep them in care forever, and we can’t fix what’s ailing the ocean,” Duerr said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service urges people to keep a safe distance from pelicans and not touch the birds. Report an injured or sick pelican to the local wildlife rehabilitation facility.

KQED’s Nina Thorsen contributed to this report.