MOOMOMI, Molokai — A loose dog killed 50 adult wedge-tailed shearwaters yesterday at a breeding colony at The Nature Conservancy's Moomomi Beach Preserve.

The dog was captured roaming the dunes with a shearwater in its mouth, according to the organization.

"We're all devastated," said Ed Misaki, the Conservancy's Molokai program director, in a news release. "These were all adult birds trying to establish their nests. This will affect the ability of this thriving seabird colony to continue to grow."

Wedge-tailed shearwaters —or uau kani — are large, dark-brown migratory birds with a black-tipped dark-gray bill. The birds live all their lives at sea and come ashore only to breed and nest at the same site each year. They nest in shallow sand burrows, 3 to 6 feet in length.

According to state wildlife biologist Fern Duvall, all 50 of the birds were sexually mature adults and at least 7 years of age. They had recently begun arriving at the preserve to establish their nests for the breeding season, which extends from March through December.