How New Year's Fireworks Affect the Behavior of Birds in the City (6 photos)

Scientists decided to conduct a couple of studies and came to unambiguous conclusions: birds are not happy when Armageddon is happening around them.





No New Year! I need this hat so I don't hear explosions in the street!

For example, guardians of science in the Netherlands observed wild geese and their reaction to fireworks explosions. Of course, no heart attacks were observed in any of the geese. But for at least the next 11 days, they spent an average of 10% more time than usual searching for food. It may not seem like much, but it is already an indicator that the birds had to get used to new places and experience stress. And stress, as we know, is harmful to everyone.



— Tell me, what do you feel after experiencing a fireworks display? — ...

The next study observed not only geese, but all other birds as well. Of course, they also could not enjoy the festive atmosphere and the bright shimmer of lights. On New Year's Eve, almost 400 thousand birds soared into the sky in the area of ​​​​two radars. This is a thousand times more than usual! Is this not enough? Here's another interesting figure. Birds are worried not only where the pyrotechnics are directly shooting: panic was observed among birds within a radius of 10 km from the explosions.





Some birds literally die of fear. Their hearts simply can't handle the strain!

The only way to avoid New Year's flashbacks is to fly wherever your eyes look. But birds have problems with this too. In winter, every crumb, every calorie counts. And during fireworks explosions, birds spend a lot of effort to get away. Thus, the heart rate of birds increases by 96%, and the body temperature rises by an average of 1 degree. For a hungry bird, such a load on the body can be fatal.



Cold, explosions, fire, the smell of gunpowder and smoke... And why do these featherless bipeds love the middle of winter so much?..

In addition, air vibrations negatively affect the "internal compass" - the ability of birds to navigate in space deteriorates. Rumble, flashes, darkness and general panic do not add any pluses to attentiveness. As a result: frightened birds drowsily crash into each other, trees and buildings, as if they had managed to knock back a couple of bottles of holiday champagne.



Another problem is that all the pyrotechnics are launched at night. At the same time, many city birds are diurnal. This means that they navigate in the dark terribly!

Alas, there is also visual evidence of scientific research. On the night of 2010-2011, about 5,000 blackbirds died in the vicinity of the city of Beebe, Arkansas. And in 2021, hundreds of starlings died as a result of New Year's celebrations in Rome.



The animals' psyche couldn't cope with the pounding all night long. The exhausted birds fell on the road in a stupor.

That's how it is, guys. It's better to celebrate the holidays hugging your other halves under a blanket, watching a New Year's movie. And if your pyromaniac soul is thirsty for a spark, light some sparklers and enjoy the garlands!