Officials in Arkansas are urging calm after hundreds of dead birds were found littering yards and streets in Beebe, Arkansas for the second New Year’s Eve in a row.

The same thing happened last year, when thousands of dead birds were found in Beebe, scattered across an area of about one square mile.

Officially, fireworks were said to have caused the strange incident, with the birds becoming disoriented from the explosions, then flying into stationary objects and each other.

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Arkansas officials gave the same explanation this year after reports began surfacing that hundreds of blackbirds were being discovered around the small town just outside of Little Rock.

A state wildlife spokesperson suggested the birds were killed after someone detonated fireworks in a large cluster of birds, scaring them into a frenzy.

This video is from CNN, broadcast Jan. 2, 2011.