New York: An errant bird dropping was the likely cause of a temporary shutdown of part of the Indian Point nuclear plant outside New York City, the operator has concluded.

A report by Entergy, the site operator, pointed the finger at a bird “streamer” as the cause of the shutdown, which tripped a safety breaker and took a reactor at the site out of commission for three days from December 14. There was no leak of radiation as a result of the accident, and at no time was public health and safety in jeopardy, the report to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission noted.