Birds Commit Mass Suicide at Jatinga Valley Assam in India

Jatinga is a small village located in Assam, India. Birds drop dead from the sky in this village, Jatinga is a beautiful and scenic village in Assam, but Jatinga has been a great mystery to Ornithologists from across the world. Jatinga village turns into a horrific site after the monsoons, in the months of September and October, during moonless and foggy dark nights. Birds drop dead from the sky between 7 PM and 10 PM. During these late monsoon months, several migratory and local birds commit mass suicide at the village.This phenomenon is not confined to a single species; Tiger Bittern, Black Bittern, Little Egret, Pond Heron, Indian Pitta and Kingfishers are all affected. The locals believe that the birds are attacked by evil spirits. Ornithologists suspect this to be some mysterious alchemy of the earth and sky.Scientists believe this to be a combination of high altitude, modifications of the magnetic qualities of subterranean water in this sector, high winds, and fog that disorient birds and cause them to behave abnormally towards sources of light. So they are attracted by the village lights and fly towards them, sometimes hitting walls and trees during the descent. Some of the birds die, while others are grievously injured, becoming easy prey for the villagers to capture. Though the villagers, ornithologists and scientists have their own version for this bizarre occurrence, there is no doubt that this phenomenon can aptly be described as the Bermuda triangle for birds.Anwaruddin Choudhury is a famous ornithologist in Assam; he said it is not suicide, to be precise. But the fact remains that birds are attracted by light and fly towards any object with a light source.This phenomenon still puzzles bird specialists. The villagers deliberately switch on lights and lanterns to attract the birds and capture them every year. To promote tourism, district authorities have created a festival around the bird suicide, called the Jatinga Festival. Due to this birds death mystery Jatinga was become world famous.