By Ada Carr
Hurricane Irma destroyed all of
the active nests of the endangered Everglade Snail Kite.
The loss caused the birds’
breeding season to end on an even worse note, according to officials.
The Everglade Snail Kite is one
of the species used to indicate the health of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem.
Scientists in Florida say all of
the nests of an endangered species of bird were lost on Lake Okeechobee after
deadly Hurricane Irma battered parts of the state.
According to a release from
Audubon Florida, all 44 active nests of the Everglade Snail Kite were wiped out by
the storm. While many adult and juvenile birds survived, eggs and flightless
baby birds in the nests did not make it.
Irma was a powerful storm that
left more than 70 dead. It caused
coastal surge flooding, torrential rainfall and damaging winds
stretching from the northern Leeward Islands to the Southeast U.S.
Before the storm, researchers had
been watching the roughly 130 nests of the birds, which can only found in Florida,
particularly around Lake Okeechobee. The loss caused the birds’ breeding season
to end “on an even worse note,” according to the release.
No comments:
Post a Comment