Authorities probing mystery deaths of endangered chicks at nesting colony

Israeli authorities have opened a probe following the mysterious deaths of some 1,000 endangered tern chicks in recent days.

In a joint statement Wednesday, the Society for the Protection of Nature and the Nature and Parks Authority said they have yet to identify the precise cause of the birds’ deaths.

The chicks were in a nesting colony in the northern Atlit region, the largest of its kind in Israel. The organizations said the first death occurred a month ago at an isolated part of the colony, with most of the birds dying within days of each other.

Many of the chicks — which were mostly three to five days old — belong to the rare pygmy gull species, while others were terns.

“This sudden death means the elimination of the nesting season for two species of terns that are in danger of extinction in Israel,” the statement said.

The Society for the Protection of Nature and the parks authority said veterinary tests had ruled out several possible causes of death, including avian flu and Newcastle Disease. The organizations added though that the tests found traces of the bacteria Shigelloides Plesiomonas, which they described as “opportunistic” and capable of killing chicks either directly or in tandem with other bacteria.

“Samples were sent for further testing, which is meant to identify the involvement of other viruses, but there are still no answers,” they said.

The statement said that a tern colony on a small coastal island near Atlit seemed to be similarly affected, noting no chicks were identified but that were some 80 couples incubating or nesting. It also said that a colony in the Hula Reserve did not appear to be impacted as there was more than one chick per couple.