A penguin? In South Carolina? What these arctic birds really are and why they’re here
Unless you’re at the zoo, you shouldn’t see a penguin in South Carolina. You shouldn’t see what looks like a miniature version of them either.
Recent storms are causing otherwise. They’re pushing pudgy black-and-white little auks, or dovekies, south when typically their winter migration doesn’t take them further than the New Jersey coastline. The Myrtle Beach Wildlife Rescue Center rescued at least six last week, according to a Facebook post. They’re native to islands around the Arctic and the Bering Sea. The 7.5-to-9.1-inch birds can also be found in Greenland, Iceland and northern Russia.
“We have a mass stranding of them,” the post reads. “These birds are federally protected and require immediate help with very specific care by professionals if they have any chance of survival.”
A Myrtle Beach Wildlife Rescue Center post shows six of the birds splashing around in a bathtub until The Center for Birds of Prey volunteer could pick them up. The post says the bird must be tube-fed every couple of hours with a specific formula.
If you see a dovekie you should call The Center for Birds of Prey at 843-971-7474.
“Please try to make a phone call to the professionals and volunteers who can really assist you,” said Jenn Clementoni, co-owner of Birding Beaufort. “If you see them washed up onto the beaches or along our shorelines that would typically be a concern.”
She said that trained transporters will typically take the bird and put in into a carrier with a towel. Then, they have to follow specific rules.
“Those folks actually can’t even answer their phone or play music as to not disturb the bird,” she said. “They have to be completely quiet.”
The birds will likely be released further north once they are healthy, Clementoni said. Though she hasn’t seen any in the Beaufort County area, she is on the lookout.
