Thousands of Dead Birds Fall From The Sky on New Year's Eve
Just as the year's odometer ticked over in Arkansas, a huge flock of between 4,000 and 5,000 blackbirds fell from the sky, stone dead. About 125 miles away, scores of dead drum fish wash ashore in the Arkansas River.
End of days? Or just a coincidence?
Although many theories have been proposed, the most likely cause of the death of the blackbirds is a high-altitude weather event, like heavy hail. All of the dead birds showed large amounts of massive trauma to their internal organs, of the sort that could easily be explained by a sudden and severe high altitude hail storm.
Blackbirds as a species tend to form extremely large flocks, which migrate at high altitudes. Many songbirds migrate at night, taking advantage of a time when predators are likely to be asleep. These migrating birds take flight invisibly in huge flocks, and they fly high, in order to avoid night-roaming owls.
End of days? Or just a coincidence?
Although many theories have been proposed, the most likely cause of the death of the blackbirds is a high-altitude weather event, like heavy hail. All of the dead birds showed large amounts of massive trauma to their internal organs, of the sort that could easily be explained by a sudden and severe high altitude hail storm.
Blackbirds as a species tend to form extremely large flocks, which migrate at high altitudes. Many songbirds migrate at night, taking advantage of a time when predators are likely to be asleep. These migrating birds take flight invisibly in huge flocks, and they fly high, in order to avoid night-roaming owls.
