Ancient murrelet, bird rarely seen in Minnesota, found malnourished in Hastings

ROSEVILLE, Minn. — A wildlife rehabilitation facility in the Twin Cities took in a bird rarely seen in Minnesota last weekend.

An ancient murrelet was found on a road in Hastings and was too weak to fly, so a good Samaritan brought it to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota in Roseville.

In a social media post, the WRC says the small bird was found to be "clinically emaciated and dehydrated" and, despite treatment, later died.

"We wish we were able to celebrate a release of this remarkable patient, but we are very thankful the finder brought the bird to us and didn't leave it to suffer on a roadway," the WRC said.

RELATED: Curious hawk hangs out with traffic camera in Minneapolis

The center says it's the first time they've admitted such a bird. Citing the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union, the WRC said the bird has only been seen nine or 10 times in the state since 1905.

"There are so few sightings that the bird is considered 'accidental' to the state," the WRC said.

Ancient murrelets are found along the Pacific Coast up to Alaska and are "one of the only known species to cross the entire Pacific Ocean during migrations," according to the WRC.

The rare bird was the 197th species of the year for the WRC.