5000 Birds Drop From The Sky In Arkansas

Birds Fall From Arkansas Skies - Technorati.com

What looked like a scene out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie became reality for a small town north of Little Rock Arkansas, as over 5,000 dead birds dropped from the sky just before midnight New Years Eve. The city of Beebe, besieged by the onslaught, has hired U.S. Environmental Services to collect the bird carcasses, from yards and rooftops as they go door to door.

The mostly blackbirds and starlings, found within a one-mile radius, usually spend the night hours roosting in treetops. It is now known what caused the mass exodus and subsequent death of the birds, however a commission appointed ornithologist, Karen Rowe, stated that such an incident can be caused by hail or lightning. "It's important to understand that a sick bird can't fly. So whatever happened to these birds happened very quickly," Rowe told CNN Radio on Sunday.

In addition, there is speculation that fireworks may have caused the deaths, due to severe stress. Most of the birds were found dead, with a large amount suffering massive trauma.