Sizzling tempera tures and paucity of water has begun to take a toll on the birds in UP. About a dozen peacock deaths have been reported form Etawah district in the past 24 hours and 10 Gray Francolin, popularly known as teetar have also been found dead in the same area. In Allahabad, in Ghoorpur village, half a dozen sparrows were found dead near a well. While the peacock is the national bird, the teetar comes under the category of endangered birds and eating or serving it is punishable under law. "In the past one-and-a-halfmonths, the death toll of peacocks has crossed the 100 mark. We carried out post mortem on the dead peacocks and the reason for death in all of them was dehydration," said Dr Hemant Lambe, a veterinarian in the district.