The Night the Birds Fell on Beebe
Just before midnight on New Year's Eve, thousands of blackbirds fell dead from the sky onto a small town in Arkansas.
What was reported
On the night of 31 December 2010, residents of Beebe, Arkansas, heard thuds on their roofs and found the streets and yards covered with dead birds. About 5,000 red-winged blackbirds had fallen from the sky in less than an hour.
The news spread worldwide, along with reports of dead fish in an Arkansas river and other bird deaths elsewhere. Online, people talked of poison, secret weapons and signs of the end of the world. It was nicknamed the 'aflockalypse'.
Explanations offered
Tests found the birds had died of trauma from hitting objects. Scientists concluded that New Year's fireworks had frightened a huge roost of blackbirds into the air in the dark. Blackbirds see poorly at night, and in panic they flew into buildings, trees and each other. The fish deaths were unrelated.
- When
- 31 December 2010
- Where
- Beebe, Arkansas, USA
- Witnesses
- Residents of Beebe
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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