Displaced by El Niño, South American Seabirds Flock to Panama

El Niño is a time when part of the ocean gets warmer than usual.

Because the water got warmer, little fish like anchovies and sardines swam far away from where they used to live.

Some seabirds eat those little fish, and when the fish disappeared, the birds had nothing to eat.

So the birds had to fly very far to find food.

Birds that usually live near Peru and Chile flew all the way to Panama, where people spotted big groups of them.

One of these birds, the blue-footed booby, has bright blue feet and is usually not seen so close to Panama City.

Scientists say the birds warned us early that a very strong El Niño was coming.

In Panama, every month since May has been one of the hottest months ever recorded, and there is much less rain than usual.

Scientists worry that when birds cannot find enough food, they may not have as many babies.

If the ocean returns to normal, the birds may disappear from Panama as suddenly as they arrived.