In a scene seemingly straight out of a Stephen King novel, a recently released video on Twitter has gone viral, depicting a group of roughly 20 turkeys routinely circling a dead animal in the middle of a street.
Twitter handle @TheReal_jDavis recorded the scene, remarking he believed the turkeys were attempting to “give this cat its 10th life.” While this peculiar activity is interesting in nature, many ornithologists and biologists have chimed in, most indicating that it is nothing completely out of the ordinary.
These turkeys trying to give this cat its 10th life pic.twitter.com/VBM7t4MZYr
— J... (@TheReal_JDavis) March 2, 2017
In what appears to be more of a curious and fearful behavior, wildlife biologist with the National Wild Turkey Federation Tom Hughes told National Geographic he believes the birds were interested in getting a closer look but remained cautious around the carcass.
“My guess is they are puzzled by the strange behavior of the dead or dying cat,” said Hughes, “[and wanted] to get a better look, without getting too close.”
Daniel A Cristol, an ornithologist at the College of William and Mary also chimed in, telling Vice that it is not uncommon for birds to circle things and often is an activity that can aid them in keeping something within their acute visual field.
They are following a leader, which is normal, but for some reason, the leader is circling around the dead cat,” Cristol told Vice in an email. “Birds see out of only one eye for most of their visual field, so if they are walking and keeping something in view they will walk in a circle.”
Without the presence of a Ouija board, burning incense and candlelight, it seems as if we just have to chalk this one up to some off natural behavior.
