Don't drink and fly: 'Tipsy' birds cause havoc and crash into windows

“Tipsy” birds have been flying into windows and cars after bingeing on fermented berries, police in the US have said.

The Gilbert Police Department in Minnesota has received a series of strange calls about the “confused” strangers, who appeared to be “under the influence”.

It is believed an early frost meant the berries had fermented earlier than usual, causing them to drink and fly.

Don’t drink and fly: ‘Tipsy’ birds cause havoc and crash into windows — Police urged concerned residents not to alert officers about the birds. File pic

In a statement, they said: “Many birds have not migrated south, so it appears to be more prevalent than in past years. It appears that some birds are getting a little more ‘tipsy’ than normal.”

Officers said younger birds could not handle toxins “as efficiently as more mature birds” before reassuring concerned residents there was no need to panic and that the animals would eventually sober up.

skynews drunk birds 4443846 — Image: The birds are said to be ‘confused’. File pic

They said people should not alert police about birds unless they see “Bigbird operating a motor vehicle in an unsafe manner” or “Tweety acting as if 10ft tall and getting into confrontations with cats”.

National Parks Service ranger Sharon Stiteler told KMSP-TV that robins and cedar waxwings eat crabapples, which contain sugar that can turn into alcohol when they lose moisture.

She said drunk birds were “totally a thing”.

This article was first published by SkyNews.com on 05 Oct 2018.