July 8, 2004
Mary Jo Pitzl
The Arizona Republic
It's a bird! It's a crane! No, it's a pelican plummeting to the ground.
More than 20 endangered brown pelicans have crashed onto sidewalks and roads in Arizona, mistaking the heat-induced shimmer of the paved surface for lakes and creeks, wildlife officials say.
"They try to land on the water, but it's asphalt and it's 'Bam! That doesn't feel so good,' " said Sandy Cate, director of the Arizona Game and Fish Department's wildlife center at Adobe Mountain in north Phoenix.
The pelicans have been found from Yuma to Phoenix. Most have been located in southern Arizona, where they've landed while flying out of Mexico's Gulf of California.
So far, the pelicans have been treated mostly for dehydration and emaciation, Cate said.
The public can call Game and Fish at (602) 789-3925 to report pelicans that appear stranded.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0708pelicans08.html