Hundreds of birds appeared out of nowhere in the sky on a relatively tranquil day, with many tumbling to their deaths, and it was like something out of a Hitchcock film.
The unusual incident was filmed on a home security camera in the Mexican city of Cuauhtemoc.
Based on the footage, hundreds of yellow-headed blackbirds spiraled out of control to the earth in a residential area in the early hours of Feb. 7.
Many of the disoriented birds were swiftly able to regain flight and soar off, while others died after colliding with homes, automobiles, and each other, or colliding with the concrete hard and fast.
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Dead Birds
Later that morning, residents in the Alvaro Obregón area emerged from their houses to find scores of dead bird corpses littering the roadway.
People began uploading videos of the dead birds on social media almost immediately.
Although many residents and specialists speculated on what would have disoriented or terrified the birds to such a degree, it remains a mystery as to what precisely caused the birds to descend from the sky in a flash abruptly.
The weather was calm at the occurrence, with temperatures in the mid-forties.
Investigation
According to local media outlet Reporte Cuauhtémoc, a local veterinarian who was called in by authorities to investigate the scene speculated that the birds may have become overwhelmed and disoriented after inhaling toxic fumes or coming into contact with electrical power lines that overloaded and unleashed a massive "electric discharge," forcing them to plummet.
The birds were probably flying at a fast pace when they lost stability and collided with one another, killing several of them, according to La Ranchera de Cuauhtemoc, a Mexican radio station.
According to Dr. Andrew Farnsworth, a senior research associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a more reasonable explanation is that the birds were scared by a predator or a loud, disruptive sound.
The explanation of the birds' erratic behavior, which he described as "fascinating and scary," might be biological, chemical, or environmental in origin. "There's a tiny probability it's meteorological, like a microburst," the Accuweather report noted.
However, biological, chemical, meteorological, and electromagnetic explanations are considerably less plausible than a predator assault or a disruptive sound.
Farnsworth also stated that "given the reaction and quickness of the birds' movements," a predator is the most likely reason. In addition to that, he also claimed that this strange occurence is very unusual and impossible to explain.
Between eight to 10 inches in length, this blackbird species travel from northern Canada to northern Mexico. They're also known to form enormous flocks, which explains why so many birds are falling from the sky in the video.
Mass Fatalities
According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, mass bird fatalities are not unusual. It happens at least once a week, according to the Geological Survey.
The deaths of thousands of red-winged blackbirds that occurred on New Year's Eve in Beebe, Arkansas, are the most prominent for at least three consecutive years, 2009-11. A state ornithologist evaluating radar pictures indicated that renegade, professional-grade pyrotechnics used in neighborhood festivities were blamed in the 2009 event.
The Associated Press reported that some 500 birds died in Louisiana just a few days after the 2010 mass bird fatalities, covering a quarter-mile stretch of highway near Baton Rouge.
Also Read: Research Shows Turning Off Building Lights at Night Reduces Bird Collision Cases
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