Environment Canada has confirmed that hundreds of dead and dying turres and other seabirds that washed up on beaches along the northeast coast of Newfoundland and south coast of Labrador over the last month starved to death.

All the birds examined to date by Newfoundland and Labrador’s Animal Health Division have been emaciated, pointing to starvation as the cause of death.

Environment Canada says at this point it is presumed that sustained northeasterly winds played a role by pushing large numbers of turres—otherwise known as thick-billed murres—inshore and away from their offshore foraging areas.

The birds were prevented from feeding, causing them to weaken, and making them unable to fly back offshore. Environment Canada says while not unprecedented, the latest incident is different because such a large geographic area was involved.