Workers at a Texas office building were shocked to find hundreds of dead birds lying outside of the skyscraper as they arrived to work on Thursday morning.
385 birds were found dead outside of the American National Insurance building in downtown Galveston, Texas on Thursday. According to KHOU-TV, the birds were mostly orioles and warblers.
Galveston is located on an island just offshore of Houston in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Animal Services Unit suspects the birds had flown across the Gulf to migrate for the season. However, heavy rains forced the birds to fly low and the bright lights of the office building may have disoriented them.
Officials will study the bodies of deceased birds in order to learn more about the migratory birds and prevent future accidents.
Bird-killing buildings aren’t just a problem in Texas. Earlier this year, Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Citizens for the Protection of Migratory Birds and the Friends of Roberts Bird Sanctuary released a report claiming that the glass roof of the Minnesota Vikings new football stadium is killing up to 500 birds a year.
Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.
