Why did hundreds of birds die in Mexico? Watch the video

On this Monday, the fifteenth, a video spread on social media hundreds of birds died for no apparent reason. These are the yellow-headed Garayna birds, which usually migrate from the north of the country Canada to Mexico During the winter in search of mild temperatures. The case took place on Monday, 7th, in the Mexican city of Cuauhtemoc. The case aroused the curiosity of the local authorities, who began to investigate what had happened. In a video taken by the security cameras of homes in the area, it is possible to see the exact moment when the birds fall on the houses.

Warning: graphic content

Security footage shows a flock of yellow-headed blackbirds dead in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. pic.twitter.com/mR4Zhh979K

– Reuters February 14, 2022

What happened?

Authorities in Cuauhtemoc have begun investigating the causes of the deaths of hundreds of birds. An animal husbandry vet who was in the area was called to assist with the investigations. Although there is no definitive answer yet, the specialist works with two hypotheses. The first is that the birds may have inhaled toxic smoke from a nearby building. It also deals with the possibility of birds being subjected to electric shocks by high voltage cables.

In an interview with the British newspaper “The Guardian”, ecologist Richard Broughton cited a third theory. According to the expert, “It seems that a predator, such as a hawk, pursued the herd, as it does with starlings, and fell when the herd was forced down.” “You can see that they are acting like a wave at first, as if they were being pushed from above,” he added.

As Alexander Less, a professor at Manchester Metropolitan University, told the Guardian, he agreed with the ecologist’s theory. For him, the flock flew in a group to avoid predatory birds and ended up falling to the ground. Despite the hypotheses surrounding the case, there is no definitive answer yet. Specialists are waiting for the autopsy report to come to a concrete conclusion about what happened.