Utah's Freezing Stormy Weather Caused Numerous Casualties to Waterbirds Flying for Migration

In Utah, a winter storm has caused several birds to collide with the ground and die, according to state wildlife officials. These types of incidents can sometimes lead to death or injury. This is not an uncommon occurrence, as, in December 2011, a large number of waterbirds crashed to the ground in Utah after a severe storm and around 1,500 birds died.

The main species of waterbird that is prone to such accidental deaths during winter storms is the black-necked grebe or eared grebe. These birds often make stops in Utah during their migration across the country and typically need bodies of water like lakes and ponds to take off or land. However, during storms when water accumulates, these birds may mistakenly try to land on what they believe is a pond or lake, but if they are mistaken and land on the ground instead, it can result in injury or death.

On Monday night, it was reported that several eared grebes landed in open areas in the southwest corner of Utah in Iron and Washington counties. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) shared this information on Facebook in a post on Tuesday. The UDWR stated that these types of crash landings occur each year in Utah, but having a large number of birds crash at the same time, as has recently happened, is less common.

Utah Heavy Snowfall

The UDWR also mentioned that these types of incidents usually do not significantly impact the overall population of eared grebes. Utah has been experiencing severe weather conditions and has had warnings in place throughout the state for the past few days. The National Weather Service has extended its advisories until Wednesday, with the expectation of heavy snowfall in the northern parts of the state, which could again pose a risk to Utah birds and their ability to land safely.

Some people commented on the UDWR's Facebook post, with some saying that they have witnessed this phenomenon before. One person wrote, "In his memories this morning was a reminder that these little fellas did the same thing here in Cedar City several years ago," and another person uttered that he found two out in Vernon, and tumbled them off at a local pond.

The UDWR ended their Facebook post with a message to residents, asking them to contact the Cedar City or Hurricane offices if they come across any of these birds on the ground, whether dead or alive so that they can assist with removal or relocation. In a separate incident, officials in Illinois reported finding over 300 dead birds that they believe may have died from avian flu, which is currently the deadliest outbreak of bird flu in the country's recorded history. Officials in Illinois have advised residents to notify wildlife officials if they come across 20 or more dead birds in one location, as per the Outsider.

(Photo : UTAH DIVISION OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES)
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources officials holding eared grebes. A number of these waterbirds, whose migration takes them over the state, crashed into the ground during a winter storm on Monday.

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Waterbirds Migration

Eared grebes are small waterbirds that are found in various regions around the world, including western North America, Central America, Eurasia, and Africa. They are about 12-14 inches in length and are known for their migratory patterns, leaving their breeding grounds in the northern United States and southern Canada in late summer and traveling to warmer climates in the far southern United States and parts of Mexico, based on statistics from All About Birds.

The eared grebe is the most common species of grebe in North America. While its population is stable, it is considered vulnerable because it relies on two specific lakes during migrations, the Great Salt Lake in Utah and California's Mono Lake.

A study published in the journal Waterbirds in December 2021 examined population surveys at Mono Lake between 1996 and 2018. The findings showed that the lake typically attracted over one million birds, but there was a "dramatic decline" with fewer than 400,000 at the lake in 2014 and 2015. Researchers attributed this decline to a lack of the birds' primary food source. The number of migrating birds at the lake remained low for an additional three years.