Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Welsh investigators said Thursday they believe they've solved the mystery of hundreds of starlings found dead on a rural roadway -- the flock of birds likely smashed themselves into the ground by mistake to avoid a predator.
The North Wales Police offered an update on the case about a month after residents discovered at least 200 birds dead on the island of Anglesey.
The agency said that initial post mortem results indicate the birds had internal trauma from impact with the road.
"We still await toxicology, but from speaking to many people, looking at the injuries and previous world wide cases it appears by taking avoiding flight action the murmuration has flown towards the ground and pulled up, but some have not made it," said Rob Taylor, of the NWP's rural crime team.
Local resident Hannah Stevens found the dead birds in December and her partner, Dafydd Edwards, made a video of the animals.
Stevens said she had seen the birds alive and well and flying in a massive flock when she first passed by the spot on her way to a doctor's appointment, but when she returned along the same route an hour later they were all dead.
Edwards then came out to film the incident.
"I counted 150 last night but I gave up as there's just hundreds of them littered everywhere," he said. "It's as if they just dropped down dead from the sky."
