Scientists and bird lovers in China have been left puzzled after hundreds of waxwings were left dead after mysteriously smashing into a Chinese apartment block. The video of the incidents, which took place in Baotou City, Inner Mongolia, have been reported in Chinese media outlets.
The mass deaths were reported to the Wildlife Protection Office of Baotou Ecological Wetland Protection and Management Centre.
Kamikaze Birds Smashed Into Glass Windows Before Dying
According to HK News, the videos captured from the sites reveal corpses of waxwings piling up in the city where the deaths were reported.
Quoting the outlet, The Sun reported that majority of the birds had smashed straight into the glass windows of the brick apartment complex before falling to their death on the concrete floor. Blood stains were still visible on a few windows where the birds smashed themselves.
The preliminary autopsy of the carcasses had ruled out any disease as the reason behind the odd and deadly behavior of the birds.
The outlet reported that the area where the tragic incidents are being reported has ample food and water resources for the birds.
Even as researchers fail to arrive at a conclusion behind the baffling behavior of the dead birds, it is suspected that the shy birds were easily scared by noise resulting in panic and flying straight into the glass.
Theories Surface Behind the 'Suicide' of Waxwings
The outlet also reported the possibility of the glare reflected from the glass affecting the sight of the birds, and that many closed their curtains or put newspapers inside the windows to try and prevent the birds from being killed.
Another theory also suggests that the birds, which move in large numbers, and are simply flying too fast to be fully aware of potential dangers such as glass windows.
According to American Bird Conservancy, while the collision with glass might leave some birds temporarily stunned and without lasting injury, others aren't so lucky. "In many of these cases, birds suffer internal hemorrhages, concussions, or damage to their bills, wings, eyes, or skulls. While they may be able to fly temporarily, birds with even moderate injuries are much more vulnerable to predators and other environmental dangers," it read further.
