A flock of yellow-headed blackbirds that crashed into the pavement last month most likely did so because the first bird mistook the shiny roof for water and the others followed.
A cloud of smoke-like flocks of birds fell to the ground in the Alvaro Obregon neighborhood of Cuauhtemoc, in the state of Chihuahua. Mexico February 7th.
Many of the flock are seen flying away, but up to 100 birds are believed to have been left dead outside with no clear explanation at the time.
In a new study from Harvard University, frames have been examined, normal migration patterns and herd dynamics have been examined to better understand why they all fell.
The team suggests that this was a case of “following the leader” as the birds in the flock do not look far ahead, instead focusing on what one lead bird is doing.
Probably the lead bird saw a shiny reflective roof on one of the buildings, mistook it for a water source, and by the time it realized it had made a mistake, it was too long for the bird or flock behind it. it’s to stop and pull up.
The team said that as cities grow and urbanization continues, these kinds of errors are likely to occur more frequently.
A flock of yellow-headed blackbirds that crashed into the pavement last month most likely did so because the first bird mistook the shiny roof for water and the others followed.
Ever since the bird crash video went viral on social media, viewers have tried to explain what happened using a variety of competing theories.
Ideas ranged from that the birds were reacting to a predator, that they were inhaling noxious fumes, being hit by a power line, or even falling victim to electromagnetic interference.
A group of experts from Harvard have carefully examined the situation and believe that the truth lies in the concept of herd dynamics.
Ornithologist Scott W. Edwards and Flavia Terminoni Garcia, a researcher in his lab, reviewed the footage and other material.
It is said that when migratory birds fly in large flocks, they follow the leader. One bird sets the pace and direction, the rest follow what everyone is doing.
“They don’t look very far; they actually follow their nearest neighbor in the flock, so they basically take signals about where to move based on their nearest neighbor,” Edwards said.
A cloud of smoke-like flocks of birds fell to the ground in the Alvaro Obregón neighborhood in Cuauhtémoc, a city in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico on February 7.
The flock that arrived in Mexico consisted of yellow-headed blackbirds, which are mainly found in the northern United States and Canada, but winter in Mexico.
They have been known to travel in groups of 3,000, “so it’s easy to see how one mistake can lead to many deaths,” the team explained.
“Perhaps the leader of the pack was somehow unaware that they were close to the ground,” Edwards said.
“If that’s the case, then most of the birds in the flock don’t know they’re close to the ground. Maybe some random event caused the pack leader to dodge something – maybe he dodged the wires, or maybe he just made a mistake.
In a new study from Harvard University, frames have been examined, looking at normal migration patterns and herd dynamics to better understand why they all fell.
“The point is that most birds will follow them rather than being aware of where they actually are in 3D space.”
Tergnoni Garcia focused on the houses’ laminated roofs, seen in a video taken by a security camera looking outside.
From above, these roofs reflect light in the same way as a pond, so the birds may have wanted a quick drink. By the time they realized they were wrong, there was no going back. “They were too close” to stop.
Migratory birds have been known to make fatal mistakes, often involving reflective glass, with hundreds of songbirds crashing into skyscrapers in New York City last year.
“These phenomena are caused by a constant process of urbanization, and they will occur more and more often as our cities grow,” said Terminoni Garcia.
Researchers have been skeptical of many of the Cuauhtémoc bird theories for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the video shows that they were not disoriented, but were flying very fast. If they inhaled poisonous gases or were shocked, the physics of their movement would be completely different.
“There is also the fact that the toxic fumes may have affected other wildlife in the area,” the researchers explained.
The bird-loving scientists hope the survivors get where they were going without further mishap. “I watched the ones that were still on the ground and hoped they would get up and fly,” Edwards said.