Do you picture birds as gentle companions, perhaps like a colorful parrot perched in its cage? Or maybe you’ve had a less peaceful encounter, like a hen pecking you while gathering eggs. Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” certainly painted a chilling picture of our feathered friends, didn’t it? It’s enough to make anyone look twice at a raven or seagull.
While a group of crows is known as a “murder,” they’re not typically the birds to fear. Deaths caused by birds are uncommon, but they do occur, and the stories can be quite startling! Here are ten instances where birds were, directly or indirectly, responsible for human fatalities.
10. Washington Man Killed by Ostrich
Ostriches are often seen as timid, preferring to flee from danger. However, if cornered, these powerful birds can become aggressive. In June 1999, Linda Carter made a grim discovery. Her 81-year-old father, Fred Parker, was found dead in an ostrich enclosure on her exotic animal farm near Seattle.
Parker, who his family said feared ostriches, was staying on Carter’s farm. He had taken on the task of feeding the ostriches, emus, llamas, and pigs while alone. Carter mentioned that food was typically thrown over the fence, and she couldn’t explain why her father entered the pen of “King Tut,” a 400-pound ostrich. It appears the bird stomped or kicked Parker, breaking his neck. A pre-existing heart condition might have also played a role in his death.
King Tut had previously kicked Carter, sending her flying over 10 feet. Despite this, she defended the bird, stating, “The ostrich was protecting his domain. It’s just like any wild animal.”
9. Ethiopian Child Killed by Martial Eagle
A town in Ethiopia’s Somali region faced a terrifying threat from a martial eagle. Locals believed the same bird was behind repeated attacks. In September 2019, this aggressive bird targeted at least three children, pecking or clawing them.
One mother recounted hearing her son scream. “We rushed outside the house. I saw [the bird] holding my son on the ground and biting him,” she told the BBC. “He was crying ‘Mother… Mother!’ I ran to him and threw a stick at the bird.” Her quick action likely saved her son. Sadly, another child was not as fortunate and was clawed to death.
Police were given orders to hunt the eagle. Authorities speculated that the bird had mistaken the children for its usual prey.
8. Hominid Child Killed by Crowned Hawk-Eagle
The Taung child skull, discovered in South Africa in 1924, is thought to be 2 million years old. For a long time, scientists believed this 3- or 4-year-old hominid was killed by a leopard or saber-toothed tiger. However, in 2006, paleoanthropologist Lee Berger proposed a different predator: a large bird of prey.
Berger suggested that a crowned hawk-eagle, a species that still hunts small primates in Africa, snatched the Taung child. The bird likely ripped out and consumed the child’s eyes. His examination of the skull revealed damage patterns distinct to bird-of-prey kills, different from those of big cats. “These critical clues were puncture marks in the base of the eye sockets of primates, made when the eagles ripped the eyes out of the dead monkeys with their sharp talons and beaks,” Berger explained. The marks on the Taung child’s skull perfectly matched this pattern.
7. Australian Woman Killed by Chicken
In a tragic and unusual incident in August 2019, a 76-year-old Australian woman died after being attacked by her own rooster. She was collecting eggs on her rural property when the rooster pecked her, puncturing a varicose vein. The injury led to a severe hemorrhage, causing her to collapse.
Sadly, she succumbed to blood loss before paramedics could arrive. The woman also had pre-existing conditions like hypertension and Type II diabetes. A report in the Journal of Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology noted, “Even relatively small domestic animals may be able to inflict lethal injuries in individuals if there are specific vascular vulnerabilities present.” This unfortunate event highlights the hidden dangers even seemingly harmless animals can pose, especially to the elderly.
6. Australian Baby Dies during Magpie Attack
A shocking incident occurred in August 2021 when a five-month-old baby girl, Mia, died in Australia. Her mother was holding her when a magpie swooped at them. While trying to dodge the aggressive bird, the mother tripped and fell. Mia sustained fatal head injuries from the fall.
Magpies, native to Australia, can grow up to 15 inches long and are known for fiercely defending their nests, particularly during their breeding season from July to December. These sharp-beaked birds are a protected species. Despite this, Queensland’s “Magpie Alert” website recorded over 1,200 swoops in 2020, with many more across Australia. Injuries from magpie attacks are not uncommon. Sean Dooley from BirdLife Australia explained that “swooping season only occurs when the male magpies are defending the chicks,” and while only about 10% of males swoop, the encounters can be terrifying.
5. Tragedian Playwright Killed by a Carrion Bird’s Prey
The ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, known as the “Father of Greek Tragedy,” met a bizarre end in 455 BC at age 67. A carrion bird, likely an eagle or vulture, was responsible for his death when it dropped a tortoise onto his head.
The bird probably mistook Aeschylus’s bald head for a rock, a hard surface suitable for cracking the tortoise’s shell. The lammergeier vulture, common in southern Europe at the time, was known for carrying bones (and tortoises) high into the air and dropping them onto rocks to access the marrow or meat. Ironically, according to Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis Historia, Aeschylus had been spending time outdoors specifically to avoid a prophecy that he would be killed by a falling object.
4. UK Man Killed by Pigeon Dust
Pigeons evoke mixed feelings: some see them as “rats with wings,” while others cherish them. For pigeon fanciers, these birds are a passion. Bill Brailsford was a champion pigeon fancier for nearly 80 years, keeping up to 170 pigeons at his Derby home.
In September 2010, at the age of 91, Brailsford died from extrinsic allergic alveolitis. This lung disorder is caused by repeatedly inhaling organic dust. His grandson attributed the death to the toxic dust from the birds. “Pigeons were my grandad’s life; now he has been killed by them,” he said. After clearing out his grandfather’s pigeons, the grandson himself battled pneumonia, fearing he had the same condition. The coroner recorded Brailsford’s death as accidental, caused by exposure to dust from pigeon droppings and bird food.
3. Detroit Man Killed by Turkey
In April 2019, a 70-year-old motorcyclist in the Detroit area died after a collision with a wild turkey. The man was riding his motorcycle when several turkeys started crossing the road. One of the turkeys suddenly took flight and struck him in the chest.
Despite wearing a helmet and protective gear, the impact caused the man to lose control of his motorcycle. He crashed into a guardrail post, an accident which tragically severed his leg below the knee. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but died from his injuries. Spring is the breeding season for wild turkeys, and they can become particularly aggressive during this period, sometimes even charging at people.
2. Indian Man Killed by Cockerel
A man in southern India, 45-year-old Thanugula Satish, was killed by his own cockerel in February 2021 during an illegal cockfight. The rooster, which had a 3-inch knife (kodi kathi) attached to its leg, struck its owner in the groin while trying to escape the fight. Satish tragically bled to death on his way to the hospital.
Police began a search for others involved in the illegal event, who faced charges including manslaughter and illegal betting, as cockfighting has been banned in India since 1960. The rooster itself was sent to a farm but was slated to be presented as evidence in court. This wasn’t an isolated incident; similar tragic deaths involving weaponized cockerels have occurred in India and the Philippines.
1. Florida Man Killed by Cassowary
The cassowary, native to Papua New Guinea and Australia, is often called the world’s most dangerous bird and looks like a creature straight out of prehistoric times. Smithsonian Magazine describes it as resembling “a turkey fused with a velociraptor.” These flightless birds can weigh close to 150 pounds and stand six feet tall, with powerful legs and a distinctive keratinous casque on their heads.
Their primary weapon is a formidable 5-inch claw on each three-toed foot, capable of disemboweling a human. While they rarely attack without provocation, it doesn’t take much to provoke them. In April 2019, Marvin Hajos, a 75-year-old Florida man who raised cassowaries, was killed by one of his birds. He reportedly fell near its enclosure, and the bird attacked him. The medical examiner confirmed Hajos died from trauma inflicted by the cassowary, calling them “an extremely, extremely dangerous bird.” After his death, the killer bird was auctioned off along with other exotic animals Hajos owned.
These stories, while rare, serve as a stark reminder that nature, in all its forms, demands respect. Even creatures we might overlook can possess surprising and sometimes dangerous capabilities. What’s the most unexpected animal encounter you’ve heard of?
Share your thoughts or other surprising animal stories in the comments below!
