A huge number of birds are dying in several US states.
The cause of death of flying animals is a mysterious illness, foreign media report.
Massive bird deaths have been reported in Maryland and West Virginia. The pestilence did not bypass the capital of the country – Washington.
It is noted that most often the victims of the unknown disease are jays, blackbirds and grackles.
Experts checked many bird corpses and found that their eyes were swollen.
In addition, infected animals have problems with coordination of movements.
At the moment, scientists cannot name the exact cause of the death of a large number of birds.
However, there is a “suspect” in the mass death of blackbirds and jays. These are cicadas.
The fact is that insects could become carriers of infection. Birds that eat cicadas can become infected from them.
In addition, cicadas could become a source of dangerous compounds such as pesticides.
However, not all researchers agree with this hypothesis. The fact is that grackles and jays usually do not eat infected insects.
