A flock of birds mysteriously fell out of the sky in Mexico, with several dying after crashing into the pavement below. Security footage that has gone viral for the bizarre nature of the incident shows how hundreds of yellow-headed blackbirds appeared to fall dead on February 7. According to local news outlet El Heraldo de Chihuahua, which first reported the story, residents of Chihuahua in Mexico called the police after discovering the dead birds on the sidewalk.
Sectional police of Alvaro Obregon reported that they began to receive calls about the dead birds at around 8.20 am on Monday.
Footage from a security camera shows the flock of birds descending upon houses in a massive black swirl. While some of the blackbirds managed to fly off, several fell dead. The video shows the birds lying lifeless on the streets.
The footage has been viewed more than 1.4 million times on Twitter and shared widely on Facebook. Local authorities could not immediately reveal why the birds mysteriously fell out of the sky – but the viral video gave rise to many theories.
According to USA Today, one veterinarian theorised that the birds either inhaled toxic fumes, possibly from a heater, or were electrocuted while perching on power lines. Some on social media also speculated that 5G could be the cause behind the mysterious deaths.
But Dr Richard Broughton, an ecologist with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, told The Guardian that blame for the incident could lie with a predatory bird.
“This looks like a raptor like a peregrine or hawk has been chasing a flock, like they do with murmurating starlings, and they have crashed as the flock was forced low,” he said. “You can see that they act like a wave at the beginning, as if they are being flushed from above.”
