On New Year’s Eve, over 3,000 red-winged blackbirds inexplicably plummeted to their deaths from the skies over Arkansas. They may have struck something while in the air such as lightning or hail. It is also possible that the ground itself caused their deaths, and they were merely rendered unconscious while flying by some mysterious force. According to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, they were spooked into flying into trees and houses.