Wildlife experts believe they were killed by a dog or several dogs.

The Wedge Tailed Shearwater spends part of its life at sea, the rest in nests along the coast. Man has already destroyed much of the Shearwater's habitat by developing along the waterfront. And now the Shearwater is under attack from man's best friend.

"It was just awful, and the more I saw the sicker I felt," said Noyita Saravia, a Kahuku resident who found some of the dead birds.

"I was initially scared. Oh my god. The bird flu has finally hit. And I talked to some of the golfers who were putting in that same area. You know, they came over. Ugh. And they told me that there were a lot more," Saravia told KGMB9.

The state picked up most of the birds, about 90 in all. They will be examined to confirm what biologists suspect ... that they were killed by a dog ... or by several dogs.

"There's no protection for them. They just sit on the ground or in their burrows and protect their eggs the whole time. Pretty much they are sitting ducks to the dogs. There are no wild dogs in that area, so we think they are neighborhood dogs ... the owners just let them free run," said Pat Porter, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Last year about 40 Shearwaters were killed by dogs at the golf course in Kahuku, and dozens of Shearwaters and Albatrosses were killed by dogs near Kaena Point.

The Shearwater is not an endangered species, but wildlife experts are keeping a close eye or their population.

"There are so many native birds that have gone extinct in the islands and we have a chance to save this bird from even becoming endangered," Porter added.

"I hope that when people become aware they'll become more responsible for their dogs and not let them loose," Saravia concluded.

It will be difficult to find the dogs, but if they are identified, their owner, or owners, can be fined.

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