Minnesota Birds Are Getting ‘Drunk’ On Fermented Berries, Police Say
Some birds in
Minnesota are getting really flocked up on fermented berries, according to
police in the city of Gilbert. On Tuesday, the
department posted a notice on Facebook warning citizens that it has
received several reports of birds that appear to be ”‘under the influence’
flying into windows, cars and acting confused.” Apparently, the birds
are getting boozed up from berries that fermented earlier than usual due to an
early frost.
Matthew Dodder, a
self-described “bird guy” in Palo
Alto, California, told The Washington Post that since there’s no such thing as a
birdie breathalyzer, you have to look at their in-flight behavior to the level
of avian intoxication. “They’ll be flying
kind of erratically,” he said. “We typically see them flying lower than usual
through traffic. They’re just careless and they’re not looking for cars or
other obstacles.” He said robins,
cedar waxwings and thrushes are the bird species most likely to tie one on
since they eat more berries than other species.
“They just get sloppy
and clumsy,” Dodder said. “They have actually fallen out of trees on occasion.”
The Gilbert Police
Department post said the birds will likely sober up soon after the fermented
berries are eaten and asked locals not to call unless they see “Angry
Birds laughing and giggling uncontrollably and appearing to be happy” or
“Tweety acting as if 10 feet tall and getting into confrontations with
cats.” ...
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gilbert-minnesota-drunk-birds_us_5bb6873be4b028e1fe3c1a15
