Hundreds of cormorants found dead on 2 Minn. lakes

St. Paul, Minn. — (AP) - The Department of Natural Resources is reporting bird die-offs on two Minnesota lakes.

Officials say dead and dying double-crested cormorants, pelicans, ring-billed gulls and a great blue heron were found last week at Minnesota Lake in Faribault County and Pigeon Lake in Meeker County.

DNR biologists say the dead birds included 687 cormorants and 37 pelicans.

DNR workers discovered the dead and dying birds while banding pelicans.

Initial tests for avian influenza were negative, but officials say the cause of the bird illness hasn't been determined yet.

The DNR, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are cleaning up the sites and collecting more samples for lab analysis.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)