Reward offered in hunt for killer of rare whooping cranes in Kentucky

By Laura Smith-Spark, CNN

January 16, 2014 -- Updated 1919 GMT (0319 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Wildlife officials seek the killers of two rare whooping cranes in Kentucky

The birds are thought to have been shot in the same incident in November

A reward is offered for information leading to those responsible for the crime

Whooping cranes are the most endangered of all of the world's crane species

(CNN) -- The hunt is on for the killers of two extremely rare whooping cranes, shot as they spent the winter in Kentucky.

The birds are thought to have been illegally shot in a single incident in November, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources said Thursday.

Now a reward is being offered to help track down the killers.

Whooping cranes are the most endangered of all of the world's crane species, according to the release, and are protected under two federal laws.

Fewer than 500 of the long-legged birds live in the wild in the United States. Seven of them were in Kentucky this winter.

The first bird was reported injured on November 25 in Hopkins County, the news release said. Two days later it was rescued because it had become very weak, but its upper leg was shattered and it had to be euthanized.

Continued

Kentucky City Fights Migratory Bird Invasion With Air Cannons, Lasers

As cardinals flock to Rome, blackbirds and starlings are flocking to Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Yes, we couldn't help ourselves with that transition. And the hills are alive with the sounds of air cannons. The cannons were brought in to disperse hundreds of thousands of birds roosting in trees, filling the skies, blocking the sun.

CORNISH: The cannons were brought in to disperse hundreds of thousands of birds roosting in trees, filling the skies, blocking the sun.

BOBBY HAILE: Well, they usually come in about 4:30 or 5:00, and they just come in in droves. They don't just come at one time. They circle around and look for a landing place. And then here comes another maybe 1,000 birds, and the sky almost gets black. The sky is just full of them.

CORNISH: That's Hopkinsville resident Bobby Haile, a retired dentist. And while it's not uncommon for migratory flocks to make a pit stop in Haile's area, the sheer scope of this visit is causing some problems. With us to explain a bit more about this troublesome bird summit in Hopkinsville, Kentucky is Geoff LaBaron, an ornithologist with National Audubon Society. Welcome, Geoff.

GEOFF LABARON: Glad to be here.

Continue reading transcript and/or hear audio here:

http://www.npr.org/2013/03/04/173455759/kentucky-city-fights-migratory-bird-invasion-with-air-cannons-lasers

Bird invasion brings real-life horror to Kentucky city

NASHVILLE, tenn. — Millions of birds have descended on a Kentucky city, fouling the landscape, scaring pets and raising the risk for disease in a real-life version of Alfred Hitchcock's film, "The Birds."

The blackbirds and European starlings blacken the sky of Hopkinsville, Ky., and turn the landscape white with bird feces. The disease they carry, histoplasmosis, can cause lung infections and symptoms similar to pneumonia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"There are enough that if the sun is just right, they'll cloud your vision of the sun," said Hopkinsville-Christian County historian William Turner. He said it's the worst invasion he's witnessed since the late 1970s.

David Chiles, president of the Little River Audubon Society, said migratory flocks are roosting in the city rather than flying farther south because of climate change.

The city has hired a pest-control company to get rid of the interlopers. Henry Jako, general manager of McGee Pest Control, said crews use air cannons and "bird-bangers" — similar to bottle-rocket fireworks aimed where the birds roost. 

Read more:Bird invasion brings real-life horror to Kentucky city - The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_22611752/bird-invasion-brings-real-life-horror-kentucky-city#ixzz2LG4m1Q7C