Authorities are struggling to explain a viral video showing a huge flock of birds suddenly and mysteriously dropping dead mid-flight.
Security footage shows close to one hundred yellow-headed blackbirds - migrating from northern Canada to Mexico for the winter - crashing to the ground in the northern Mexican city of Chihuahua.
The incident took place on the morning of February 7th. Local police investigated the scene and confirmed they had found “hundreds” of dead birds.
El Heraldo de Chihuahua reported that local residents called the police after they came across the dead birds on their roads and paths.
Authorities are baffled about what caused the birds’ deaths, with a local vet suggesting that they could have inhaled toxic fumes from a nearby heater or been victims of an overcharge from electricity cables.
However, it might have equally been down to cold temperatures.
Another possible explanation is that the incident was the result of bird-error.
Birds flying in a murmation - which is when a large group of birds all fly together and change direction together - is usually a graceful affair, however it is possible that this flock made a miscalculation whilst trying to evade a predator.
A similar incident happened in the UK this month, with hundreds of birds seen plummeting from the sky in Pembrokeshire, bewildering many as to the reason why.
The "eerie sight" was a shocking thing to witness for one woman as she stumbled on the birds lying in the street.
Michaela Pritchard came across what she described as a "massacre" as she travelled between Waterston and Hazelbeach in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
She estimated around 200 birds had fallen from the sky suddenly and some people suggested the nearby Dragon LNG plant as a possible cause, which the company denied.
One man added he heard a loud bang before seven or eight birds rained down on his car in nearby Waterston.
WalesOnline reports suggestions of other theories for why the birds had died, including electrocution or being chased by a bird of prey at dusk before hitting the road surface.
