DOZENS of birds found dead in eastern Romania drank themselves to death, the local sanitary and veterinary authority has revealed.

The starlings died after they ate grapes left over from the wine-making process, Romeu Lazar, head of the local DSVSA, told the Agerpres news agency.

The cause of death was determined after the contents of the birds' gizzards were analysed, he added.

On Saturday, several residents of Constanta, 260 kilometres east of Bucharest, alerted the authorities after they discovered dozens of dead starlings on the outskirts of the city.

They said they feared the birds had been killed by avian flu, but the DSVSA immediately ruled out that possibility.

The incident came after unexplained mass bird and fish deaths were reported in several countries, including the United States, Sweden and Britain.



Originally published as Flock of birds 'drank themselves to death'