Massachusetts

Tropical Bird Likely Blown Off Course by Hurricane Jose Found on Cape

A tropical bird never before seen in Massachusetts has been rescued from a Cape Cod beach after it was likely blown off course by Hurricane Jose.

Wild Care, a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Eastham, says the masked booby was found Tuesday at a Wellfleet beach.

Wild Care Executive Director Stephanie Ellis tells the Cape Cod Times the bird was thin, weak and experiencing respiratory discomfort likely due to a fungal infection.

Massachusetts Audubon science coordinator Mark Faherty says a masked booby has never before been reported on the state's soil. He says a charter captain reported seeing one about 100 miles south of Nantucket in 2015.

The seabirds are more common in the Gulf of Mexico.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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