the past two days, while a third of our species are at high risk of extinction and 20% of our common birds have a negative tendency, I've had to lie to various media communication that mortality of birds in Arkansas, Louisiana and Sweden are divine punishment or that there has been a massive radioactive leak that affected the entire northern Palaearctic. No joke I say, these questions are true that I have been made by serious journalists for the media even more serious.
What happened?
During Christmas Eve, there were more than three thousand dead birds in the American people Beebe (Arkansas). The fact that he was in a village and a few dates over in news reporting focused the spotlight on this fact, globalization did the rest.
mortality could be due to many causes (weather, poisoning, etc..) But among them were slipped some more sensational as divine punishment and radioactive releases. This was compounded by the fact that appeared on New Year's Eve another case of bird mortality in Louisiana and later another one in Sweden. None of these cases is related to the above, but represented a good breeding ground for media.
At the insistence of the media asked me explanations about what happened and a few words to "reassure the Society " I had to study the issue. Indeed some of the things I found when I found disturbing. For example, reviewing the videos broadcast on American television I found the statements of a man Arkansas over saying " after the election of Obama already knew that God would punish us in some way ."
But among the apocalyptic claims information also appears to help us understand the case of Arkansas. Citizens heard Beebe explained as fireworks and a few seconds or minutes they heard the birds were crashing against the windows and cars. In addition, the weather that night at Beebe and the statements of witnesses confirm that it was overcast and stormy night. The main species affected, or thrush Redwing turpial Sergeant (Agelaius phoeniceus) is very gregarious in winter, forming flocks of several thousand birds they are even considered crop pests. With this information we already have all the ingredients to imagine what happened. Beebe a respectable citizens (do not know whether they voted or not Obama) expressed their delight at the birth of Jesus throwing fireworks, with the bad luck that exploded close enough to the roost where there were several thousands of jays Redwing, who undertook a desperate flight to escape this potential danger. It is a species not usually night flights and in that stormy night launched a flight that took them too low in these conditions of zero visibility, to collide with lines, trees, houses, cars and any other people's human infrastructure.
cases in Louisiana and Sweden are different and certainly know their causes in the coming days.
are common situations
mortality "massive" bird is a common phenomenon that occurs in all countries and all years, except that most of the time you perceive to not occur in the middle of town and of course, not so much echo in the press. Usual bird death from hypothermia in a hailstorm, colliding against human infrastructure, etc.. Not only are magnified by the media.
However, many of our birds are the brink of extinction by human action and I have not read a single story about the holidays is not news!
Anyway, do not worry, although the human species deserve any kind of divine punishment, it seems that the death of the jays of Beebe are the first sign.
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