A species of bird making its seasonal return to North Texas is drawing attention from neighbours who witnessed the birds engaging in an unusual behaviour after getting drunk on fermented berries.
Residents in the Fort Worth area said the cedar waxwings return to North Texas around this time of year, but they have noticed this time around that the birds are frequently seen acting disoriented and flying into windows after eating fermented berries.
An urban wildlife biologist with the Texas Department of Parks and “Wildlife, Rachel Richter said: “Because they eat predominantly berries, sometimes they eat berries that have fermented and are a little bit past their primes, sometimes they tend to overindulge a little bit, which can get them intoxicated.”
Richter said cases of cedar waxwings getting intoxicated from fermented berries are actually pretty common. She said an increase in reports this year is likely the result of COVID-19 keeping people at home during the day, when the birds are more active during the day
