As many as 500 birds fell out of the sky in Beebe , Texas . Experts believe the red - winged blackbirds died of blunt force trauma . Laboratory tests were conducted on 13 of the birds that were part of the group that flew into buildings and died in a neighborhood in Beebe , Arkansas , 40 miles northeast of Little Rock . `` The tests ruled out bacteria , viruses , heavy metals , pesticides and avicides ( chemicals used to kill birds ) as causes of death , '' the commission said in a statement . In an unrelated incident , 500 birds died in a nearby field .
As many as 500 birds fell out of the sky in Beebe , Texas . Experts believe the red - winged blackbirds died of blunt force trauma . In an unrelated incident , 500 birds died in a nearby field .