Hundreds Of Thousands Of Birds Have Mysteriously Dropped D.E.A.D From The Sky

An ‘unprecedented’ amount of birds have been falling from the sky at an alarming pace in New Mexico, and some experts believe the wildfires blazing over the West Coast are to blame. According to New Mexico State University Professor Martha Desmond, the mystery began on August 20 when hundreds of d.e.a.d birds were discovered in the US Aʀᴍʏ White Sands Missile Range and White Sands National Monument. However, what was thought to be an isolated incidence has turned out to be a common issue.

In the weeks since, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of birds have been discovered dead across the state, notably in Doa Ana County, Jemez Pueblo, Roswell, and Socorro. Austin Fisher, a journalist, released a video on Twitter showing a cluster of hundreds of d.e.a.d birds he spotted while on a trek on September 13 in northern Rio Arriba County. ‘I have no clue,’ a surprised Fisher says in the video before rotating the camera to find scores of d.e.a.d birds on the ground.

D.e.a.d birds, including warblers, bluebirds, sparrows, and blackbirds, are abundant in Colorado, Texas, and Mexico, just as they are in New Mexico. They appear to be all insectivores, with both migratory and year-round species among the d.e.a.d. Experts have not been able to determine the actual number of casualties or the reason for the global ᴇxᴛɪɴᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. However, one of the most likely contributing causes, according to experts, is the recent wildfires in California and other Western states, which may have driven the birds to migrate early.

Gail Garber, executive director of Hawks Aloft Inc, agreed, saying migratory charts show a huge number of birds departing the Pacific Northwest on September 8 and 9 and traveling southwest across the Rocky Mountains into Mexico. Normally, the birds would go south through California, she added, but the fires have likely disturbed their path. These dates also coincide with a cold spell that caused temperatures in New Mexico to plummet to a record low last week. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there are now 87 major wildfires burning across ten states.

Since the middle of August, ꜰɪʀᴇꜰɪɢʜᴛᴇʀs have been battling hundreds of ᴡɪʟᴅꜰɪʀᴇs across the West Coast. Wildfires have burnt nearly 4.5 million acres of land since the beginning of the year, an area almost the size of the whole state of Connecticut. The smoke from the most recent round of disastrous wildfires has flown thousands of miles across the country, enveloping the Midwest, Canada, and even reaching as far north as New York. At least 35 people have .d.i.e.d, including 24 in California, ten in Oregon, and a toddler in Washington, and over 42,000 structures have been ᴅᴀᴍᴀɢᴇᴅ.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife stated on Twitter on Monday that “not much is known about the effects of smoke and wildfires on birds.” However, after the flames began, people and scientists have reported observing birds acting abnormally before they ᴘᴇʀɪs.ʜᴇᴅ. Birds that are generally located in bushes and trees were sighted on the ground, hunting for food and running after bugs, according to CNN. According to Professor Desmond, a number of other birds examined were sluggish and unresponsive, causing them to be hit by motorists in ‘greater numbers than ever witnessed previously.’
Swallows, which are flying insectivores that can not walk, were also spotted resting on the ground and allowing people to ᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴀᴄʜ them at the White Sands Missile Range, she noted. While the fires and dry conditions may have exacerbated the fatalities and unusual behavior, Desmond believes a number of issues remain. Desmond’s department has been collecting bird samples, which will be sent to the US Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory in Oregon, although the analysis might take up to three months.