California seabirds are starving in a marine heat wave, and El Niño could make it worse

California seabirds are starving in a marine heat wave, and El Niño could make it worse as warming disrupts the nearshore food web. Scientists and volunteers are finding increasing numbers of dead and undernourished seabirds along California’s coast, with marine heat waves believed to be the trigger. On San Diego beaches, marine ornithologist Tammy Russell told the Associated Press that remains can show up within minutes of walking the shoreline. The hardest-hit species include California brown pelicans, loons, and grebes. Researchers say persistently elevated temperatures are contracting the cold, nutrient-rich nearshore water, reducing access to prey such as krill, anchovies, and sardines. This spring, wildlife rehabilitation centers took in hundreds of severely thin birds. With El Niño potentially adding strain to already unusually warm coastal waters, seabirds—often an early warning for stressed ecosystems—may signal broader impacts on fisheries and coastal economies.