Migratory Bird Dies after it Flew 7,000Km from Europe to Africa

A migratory bird which flew a distance of 6,948 kilometers from Europe before landing in Kenya has died.

The bird, known as Osprey, died over the weekend while under the care of Kenya Wild Life veterinarians and a KWS-licensed Raptor Rehabilitation Centre in Karen, Nairobi.

“We regret to announce the death of the rescued migratory Osprey bird despite all efforts to rehabilitate and eventually release it into the wild,” KWS said in a statement.

KWS added that a postmortem examination report conducted by veterinary teams attributed the death to long term starvation which precipitated system organs failure.

The raptor bird was spotted in West Imbo Location, Usalu Village, Bondo Sub County in Siaya County, Kenya last week by an area resident who reported to the KWS team in Siaya, on January 20, 2020.

The bird was caught in a fishing net and appeared to have struggled to release itself. It also has bruises on the legs but appears healthy despite losing some weight and being dehydrated.

The bird was delivered to the KWS Veterinary Department on Thursday. The initial plan was to have it stabilized by administering IV fluids, provided with a proper diet then monitored for a few days before being released back to the wild.

The bird’s origin was established from a refereeing ring on its leg which indicated it was ringed in Finland.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings.