Sunday Mystery Of Dead Birds...!

Sometimes animals do things that far surpass our understanding, like this mass suicide.

Jatinga Village

Photo credit: hututoo.com

The village of Jatinga is located in Assam within northeastern India. It is a beautiful place surrounded by greenery and mountains. However, something awful happens here every year, and scientists are completely baffled as to the reason. Each year between September and November, just after sunset, hundreds of birds dive down from the sky mid-flight and deliberately crash into trees and buildings.

Theories range from the birds being disoriented by the monsoon fog (the scientists’ theory) to evil spirits being at work in the little village (the villagers’ theory). It has been discovered that the migrating birds, which include kingfishers, tiger bitterns, and pond herons, lose their natural habitat during monsoon season because of flooding, causing them to migrate. Unfortunately, some villagers have taken to shining torches during this time to further confuse the birds and then kill them. Conservation groups are working to curb this problem.

It remains unclear why these birds travel at night and why so many are in flight during that time when they should be asleep. The first “mass bird suicide,” as it is commonly known, was observed in the 1900s. Scientific study into the phenomenon continues.

This phenomenon is seen more and more all over the world, even here in the states. Mostly it's birds, but sometimes it happens to whales that beach themselves for no apparent reason. Can't help but wonder why, ya know?

Coffee out on the patio this morning. Gotta take advantage of this great weather!