A mystery that scientists seek to elucidate.
Hundreds of birds were found dead on January 1 on a departmental road in Aude, between the towns of Lézignan-Corbières and Ferrals, reported our colleagues from
L'Indépendant
.
An event photographed by a motorist, and confirmed by the mayor of Lézignan-Corbières, Gérard Forcada, at
La Dépêche
.
"
Several hundred sparrows were found on the departmental road at the exit of the highway by my municipal police, lying on about fifty meters
," he said.
The hundreds of dead birds found in the Aude on January 1.
Facebook screenshot
Many avenues mentioned
For now, the mystery surrounding the phenomenon remains intact.
One of the hypotheses mentioned involves the Lézignan aerodrome, located a few meters away.
However, “
no plane took off or landed due to weather conditions
”, and “
this type of bird collision is measured by flight recorders
”, assured the aerodrome on local radio 100%.
Another advanced track, that of a New Year's Eve fireworks display having frightened the birds.
But the city councilor is categorical: “
None were shot nearby
” on the night of December 31 to January 1.
The thesis of the hunt also seems to be dismissed, no lead having been found on the scene of the facts.
As for the road accident, it would be "
impossible
".
Read alsoBird flu: more than 22,000 seabirds found dead in Peru
Bacteriological and chemical analyzes should soon be carried out on the birds.
According to the Bird Protection League interviewed by
The Independent,
it is possible that the sparrows were poisoned.
“
It has already happened, but on columbids: they had absorbed, at the time of sowing, seeds which were toxic to them.
»
This is not the first time that flocks of birds have been discovered dead in strange circumstances.
In the state of Chihuahua, in northern Mexico, hundreds of migratory birds from Canada had collapsed on the roadway in February 2022. Scientists had raised several hypotheses to justify their death, such as the important air pollution in the area, or the presence of a predatory bird that has created panic among their ranks.
In February 2020, dozens of bird corpses littered a road in Spain, near the Port Aventura theme park.
The investigation concluded that they had been hit by a car.
