A CCTV footage captured the moment when a flock of birds mysteriously fell from the sky and dropped dead in the Alvaro Obregon area of Cuauhtemoc, a city in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico.
The shocking video showed that hundreds of migratory birds suddenly dropped dead from the sky on February 7. It has now gone viral, while a follow-up video shows dozens of yellow-headed blackbirds were left lying dead on the street.
Hundreds of Migratory Birds Simultaneously Died Above the Sky of Mexico in a Mysterious Event
CCTV Camera Caught Sudden Death of Migratory Birds
In 2021, at least six states in the US reported an increase in sudden deaths of birds with symptoms of seizures, crusty or swollen eyes, and inability to stay balanced. This year, another peculiar bird death has happened, but it is in Mexico this time.
Local residents in Chihuahua said that they have begun seeing migratory birds who were traveling to Mexico from Canada during winter mysteriously falling from the sky at around 5 AM and called the police at 8:30 AM, MailOnline reported. Security footage shows the event happening on the same day and features motionless yellow-headed blackbirds lying on a street as someone was sweeping them into piles.
According to NBC News, local authorities could not pinpoint yet the exact cause for the sudden death of hundreds of birds in Mexico but there are various theories that might explain as to why the event happened.
There were also dead birds found in Rubio, Mexico, located about 620 miles away from where hundreds of birds fell. The dead birds were removed to be tested and investigated to establish the real cause.
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What Caused the Sudden Death of Hundreds of Yellow-Headed Blackbirds in Mexico?
Since the video has gone viral, there have been many speculations on social media about the cause of the birds' sudden death. Global News reported that this includes exposure to 5G technology and being electrocuted by power lines. Meanwhile, other people also wondered whether it was some kind of a sinister sign that apocalypse was beginning.
But experts said that although they could not pinpoint as of now the exact cause of the event, there is likely a more logical explanation for it. Dr. Richar Broughton, an ecologist from the UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology, said that it might have been caused by a predatory bird that forced the birds into a tight swirl before dive-bombing them and falling to the ground.
He explained that it looks more like a murmuration that went wrong. Murmuration is when birds fly in a tight formation while flying in sync. Broughton said that the predator could either be a raptor, like a peregrine or a hawk, chasing the flock of birds but end up crashing the whole flock of birds.
On the other hand, the local newspaper El Heraldo de Chihuahua reported that a veterinarian had examined the dead birds to know what caused their sudden death. The veterinarian speculated that the birds might have been poisoned by the wood-burning heaters, agrochemicals, and the cold weather. Below is a video featured in Reuters, showing the flock of birds drop dead in Mexico.
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