Alcohol, not avian flu, contributed to the deaths of 40 songbirds in Vienna last month, Austrian veterinarians have found.
Experts initially feared the birds were killed by bird flu. However, tests showed their livers were damaged from intoxication. They were all been found with their necks broken after flying into windows across the city.
The livers of the birds resembled those of "chronic alcoholics," Sonja Wehsely, a spokeswoman for Vienna's veterinary authority, told Austrian television on Thursday.
The birds apparently got tipsy gorging on fermented berries.
Alcohol from the rotting berries may have caused the birds to become disoriented and fly into the windows, she said.
It's estimated 100 million birds die each year across North America after crashing into glass office buildings.
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