Drunk birds common this time of year
BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) - Have you ever been in downtown Birmingham in the spring and noticed an unsettling sight, beautiful little brown birds dead on the sidewalk?
It's probably a bird called a Cedar Waxwing and it most likely died from FUI—flying under the influence.
The culprit is a main food source for them called the Polk Berry.
"When we have cooler or colder weather, they'll freeze and thaw and as they thaw and sit out in the summer or spring sun, they'll start the fermentation process and build up yeast," Scottie Jackson with the Alabama Wildlife Center said.
"So the birds will ingest them and actually become intoxicated. They can become a little disoriented and have a harder time navigating," Jackson explained.
Many times, flocks tend to gather in downtowns or neighborhoods. When they start to fly, they often crash into buildings or windows so hard it can kill them.
There are times when the birds survive the crash or fall but become severely injured. That's when they come to the Alabama Wildlife Center to get over their hangover and be nursed back to health.
Jackson said it usually takes a day or two to sober up. There's nothing we can do about the berries fermenting—that's just a natural process.
We can help the birds by putting up reflective films and decals on our windows.
"If they're able to see those definitive blockings there, it makes it to where they are more aware and even in a diminished capacity, they're still not as apt to fly into windows," Jackson said.
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