Matt MacLeod for SPLIT REED
Waterfowl Mistake Wet Roads for Wetlands, Over 200 Hit and Killed by Cars
Waterfowl migrating south from the Dakotas and Canada have been hit and killed by cars in northwestern Iowa. Wildlife officials say the birds mistook wet pavement for wetlands.
State biologist Orrin Jones says that migratory waterfowl tend to migrate at night, and the birds likely left when the weather was clear. Jones speculates that the waterfowl ran into a strong front and freezing rain forced them to set down in Woodbury County.
Steve Griebel, a state conservation officer, started receiving phone calls and texts about ducks on roads and parking lots starting around 9:30 p.m. Griebel investigated the situation shortly after sunrise.
In a news release Griebel stated “I counted over 200 dead ducks on the highway, and can only imagine how many dead ones were out of sight in the ditch. It was all different species – mostly bluebills, but there were mallards, buffleheads, teal. It must have been an epic migration.”
