What do Charlie Sheen, Christina Aguilera, and a brown owl in Germany have in common? Their drunken exploits make the headlines. Earlier this year German police responded to reports of an owl interfering with traffic and found the owl—one eyelid drooping—amid two discarded bottles of schnapps. After concluding it’d had one too many, they took the inebriated animal to a local bird expert who has treated sloshed birds before, Spiegel Online reports. It was given water and set free once it sobered up.
Yet birds don’t need manmade liquor to get drunk—nature provides the means for intoxication this time of year. “Fermentation toxicity is most common in late winter and early spring when thawing of overwintered berries allows for yeast fermentation of the sugars in the berries,” reports the National Wildlife Health Center.
Cedar waxwings and robins are most likely to gorge on fermented blackberries, pyracantha or juniper berries, crabapples or mountain ash fruits. “These birds may be tipsy, inadvertent victims of alcohol consumption,” Oregon State University’s Extension Office reports.
Last March a berry binge led to the deaths of about 50 cedar waxwings found along a road in Harris County, Texas. National Wildlife Health Center tests showed that berries collected from a nearby Ilex shrub contained 800 ppm ethanol by wet weight: “enough to produce intoxication in these birds that could have resulted in compromised behavior and subsequent fatal trauma.”
Tipsy birds may be more likely to smash into windows, so consider putting decals on the large reflective surfaces. (Check out our info on window decals and bird-safe building guidelines.) If a bird crashes into your window and survives, Jeff Picton of the Chintimini Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Corvallis recommends leaving it alone if it’s not in danger from cats or other predators.
If you think it might be threatened, pick it up gently with a towel, place it in a well-ventilated box, and put that in a dark, quiet place. Once the bird begins moving around, open the container and let it fly away if it can. If it doesn’t recover within a few hours, Picton recommends calling your local wildlife rehabilitation center for further instructions.
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Crowds of robins travel to warmer regions each fall to avoid the lowering temperatures. Energy-intensive, Bay Area gardens have gained popularity as rest stops along the route.
Gary took the week off. While he’s gone, we’re printing some of his most beloved columns from the past. Today’s is from Oct. 15, 1995.
When abruptly elevated blood sugar levels from overindulging in sweet berries contribute to the avian hyperactivity, bird life becomes even more complicated. In addition to making the birds top-heavy and overweight, this overeating causes the birds to wobble around the sky as they attempt to adjust to the effects of gravity on their drastically altered flight characteristics. They are no longer graceful fliers, stuffed to the gills with 10 to 15 juicy berries each, or roughly 20 percent of each bird’s natural weight. They plunge headfirst into the streets, smashing windows and walls. Sure, they’re over it, but alcohol has nothing to do with it.
It is abundantly clear that ripe and unripe berries have very different flavors. I’ve watched entire flocks of robins skip over whole bushes, clearly not finding the berries to be perfectly tasty.
Crisp mornings, fermented pyracantha berries, and falling-down-drunk birds are all signs that fall has finally arrived.
Yet birds don’t need manmade liquor to get drunk—nature provides the means for intoxication this time of year. “Fermentation toxicity is most common in late winter and early spring when thawing of overwintered berries allows for yeast fermentation of the sugars in the berries,” reports the National Wildlife Health Center.
Consider applying decals to the large reflective surfaces of windows as drunken birds have a higher chance of smashing into them. (See our information on bird-safe building regulations and window decals.) Jeff Picton of the Chintimini Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Corvallis advises leaving a bird alone if it crashes into your window and survives provided it is not in danger from cats or other predators.
Cedar waxwings and robins are most likely to gorge on fermented blackberries, pyracantha or juniper berries, crabapples or mountain ash fruits. “These birds may be tipsy, inadvertent victims of alcohol consumption,” Oregon State University’s Extension Office reports.
If you believe it may be in danger, gently remove it using a towel, put it in a box with plenty of ventilation, and store the box in a quiet, dark area. When the bird starts to fly, open the container and allow it to take off. Picton advises contacting your nearby wildlife rehabilitation center for more information if it doesn’t recover in a few hours.
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FAQ
Can birds get drunk on berries?
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Can robins get drunk on juniper berries?
What birds like juniper berries?