On August 10, International Bird Rescue received a call from a passenger aboard a cruise ship about a small mystery bird they had discovered that was unable to fly away. She initially thought it was a shearwater and later identified it as a puffin. However, once the bird was brought into care, it was determined to be an endangered Guadalupe Murrelet.
The ship had been traveling from Ensenada, Baja California to Long Beach, and the murrelet was found before they passed Catalina Island. The passenger recalled that a crew member told her that they had noticed the bird on board a few days before. Thanks to this rescuer for taking action, the bird is alive today and now has a second chance.
Upon examination, the murrelet was found to be uninjured but severely emaciated and dehydrated. This new patient is now recovering in an outdoor pool while it regains its strength. Once the bird is ready to return to the wild, it will be transported by boat and released into the open ocean.
The Guadalupe Murrelet is the rarest alcid in the world (less than 5,000 pairs), with regular breeding documented only at Islas Guadalupe and San Benito off the west-central coast of Baja California, Mexico, according to a 2021 study published in Marine Ornithology. These tiny auks are threatened by invasive species on their breeding islands as well as by the effects of climate change. Bird Rescue previously cared for a Guadalupe Murrelet stowaway in 2019.
Each individual bird in a threatened group is of extreme importance to the survival of the species. Bird Rescue is committed to rescuing birds of special concern in a changing world. Click here to support the murrelet and other waterbirds in care.
