It's Raining Birds

On New Year's Eve, thousands of blackbirds fell down from the sky and died in the town of Beebe, Arkansas (population, 5,000). If that is not some kind of omen, I don't know what is.

According to ABC News, at least 2,000 carcasses of the birds were collected by officials from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to investigate the cause of this unusual occurrence. "There were multiple thunderstorms that night and for several days that week," said Dr. George Badley, state veterinarian for the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission. "Red-winged blackbirds fly in large groups and if they got pulled into a thunderstorm, likely lightning struck them. That would be my best guess."

Poisoning was ruled out since their stomachs were empty. The birds all died from multiple internal hemorrhages consistent with trauma of some sort. To add to the mystery, it is very unusual for red-wing blackbirds to fly after dark since they have poor vision.

The final verdict: fireworks. It seems that fireworks frightened the birds into a flying lower than they normally do and they started crashing into things they would normally avoid. There was little light at the time of the fireworks and many believe the birds lost their bearings.

Just be glad you weren't hit by a falling bird carcass. That would not be a very nice way to start a new year.