TAMPA — A United Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing after it struck a flock of birds Thursday morning, a Tampa International Airport spokeswoman said.

Flight 2051 heading to San Francisco took off just after 8 a.m. and hit the birds shortly after, TIA spokeswoman Emily Nipps said.

The pilot returned to check for damage, which was minor, she said. The plane first flew over the Gulf of Mexico for about three hours to burn off fuel to be the correct weight for landing.

It landed at 11:30 a.m. she said.

About 140 people were onboard. All but 25 boarded a different plane for a mid-afternoon flight to San Francisco, Nipps said.

The feathers were collected to determine what type of birds were hit, she said.

Contact Jonathan Capriel at 813-225-3141 or jcapriel@tampabay.com. Follow @jonathancapriel.