Out of their tree: virus blamed as drunken parrots fall from sky
The staggering gait, the mood swings and the headaches will be familiar to anyone who has indulged in a big night out. But in Australia’s northernmost city it is not the people who are behaving like drunks, but the native parrots, which are falling out of the sky.
Darwin’s red-collared lorrikeets are suffering from a puzzling condition, with symptoms strikingly similar to those that accompany inebriation. Hundreds have been treated in animal hospitals, where they are fed sweetened porridge and fresh fruit – the avian equivalent of a hangover cure.
[ … ]