Tropical Bird Blown 1,000 Miles To Cape Cod Succumbs

EASTHAM, MA — A tropical seabird blown 1,000 miles off course by Hurricane Jose all the way to Cape Cod last month has died, according to wildlife officials. The male masked booby was found last month by a good Samaritan at a Wellfleet beach, according to Wildcare Cape Cod, an Eastham-based nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation center. The bird was found in "grave condition," according to Wildcare Cape Cod Executive Director Stephanie Ellis.

"We are hoping for the best, but the reality is that we have a very sick bird on our hands," Ellis said in a statement at the time. (Sign up for free daily newsletters and breaking news alerts from Massachusetts Patch sites.)

On Monday, Wildcare announced the bird died.

"The bird took a turn for the worst yesterday, and was placed on oxygen for much of the day," Ellis said in a statement Monday. "We certainly tried our best, and his condition was grim from the beginning."

Masked boobies, which have a 5-foot wingspan, live on tropical islands and around the Gulf of Mexico. They feed on small fish.

Hurricane Jose battered Cape Cod with 65 mph winds and more than 4 inches of rain last month.

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Hurricane Jose: Tropical Bird Blown 1,000 Miles To Cape Cod

Photos: A masked booby found on Cape Cod after it was blown 1,000 miles off course by Hurricane Jose. (Credit: Wildcare Cape Cod)