Drunk birds on a collision course

Cedar waxwings got drunk on fermented berries

source: New Scientist vol 214 no 2867, June 2nd 2012 p17

Cedar waxwings flew into Los Angeles buildings a number of times from 2005 to 2007. Haim Kinde and team from San Bernardino's California Animal Health and Food Safety Lab have discovered that the birds had eaten large amounts of Brazilian pepper tree berries. The waxwings use a distendible oesophagus to store food, rather than a crop. The berries had fermented, and the waxwings' livers were unable to process the alcohol, so the birds flew when they were dangerously drunk.