Image: John Holmes
A flock of “drunken” starlings apparently caused quite a fiasco on a busy motorway recently, according to The Local.
Motorists were extremely confused when birds randomly started crashing into their cars and falling onto the A2 motorway between Inzersdorf and Vösendorf in Austria.
Because there were so many birds on the road, traffic was at a standstill and backed up for several miles. Those on the scene described the event as “something out of a horror film.”
The starlings had evidently gorged on fermented berries, which contain naturally-occurring alcohol.
This made it difficult or even impossible for them to fly, and they had no idea where they were landing in their confused state. To make matters worse, excessive rain and fog limited visibility in the area.
This isn’t the first time drunken birds have terrorized Austria. In 2006, a flock of waxwings ate similar fermented berries and crashed into several apartment buildings.
Perhaps the birds should stick to the fresh berries.
