Peru pelican population declines due to Super El Niño

The Super El Niño phenomenon is causing a severe decline in Peru's pelican population due to rising ocean temperatures. The warming waters have driven anchovies, a primary food source for the birds, into deeper and colder waters, making them inaccessible to the pelicans.

Researcher Liliana Ayala from Universidad Científica del Sur reports that the pelican population in Peru has decreased by approximately 40%, representing a loss of between 40,000 and 45,000 birds. This ecological crisis is further compounded by outbreaks of avian flu.

In Lima, activists such as Rosario Julian Mauricio have begun manually distributing fish to the birds to combat starvation. The Peruvian pelican is currently listed as ‘Endangered’ in Peru and is classified as ‘Near Threatened’ globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.