After part of the iconic Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed into the ocean amid powerful waves on Monday, feathered culprits have been found to factor into the pier’s damage: seagulls.

A part of the Santa Cruz Warf, which was under construction, broke away Sunday. Reports from NBC News indicate two workers received

A portion of Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed into the ocean due to storms. Two people were rescued and transported to a local hospital, and a third made their way to safety on their own.

Three people fell into the water when more than a hundred feet of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, as the coastal city was pounded with dangerous high surf.

A portion of the Santa Cruz pier collapsed and floated out to sea as high surf pounded the California coast on Monday afternoon. The pier collapse was first reported just after 1 p.m. "A portion of the Santa Cruz Pier has collapsed and is floating away," the National Weather Service said in an statement via social media.

A retired Santa Cruz Wharf supervisor said old steel fasteners had been loosening and the structure had been slowly breaking apart for years.

While already on alert because of the high surf that hit the Monterey Bay coast Monday, Santa Cruz Lifeguards Lt. Isiah Mullen and Lt. Sam Hofmann, stationed on a Jet Ski in the water near Cowell

City officials in Santa Cruz say swindlers claiming to represent businesses on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf are soliciting donations following the structure's partial collapse.