Hundreds of roosting starlings die after fireworks set off in Rome

Hundreds of birds have died after fireworks were set off in Rome on New Year's Eve, animal rights groups have claimed, calling it a "massacre."
Video footage of the roads near the main train station in the Italian capital showed scores of birds - mostly starlings - dead on the ground.
The reason was not certain, but the International Organisation for the Protection of Animals said it looked likely that firecrackers and fireworks set off in the leafy neighbourhood that many birds use to roost had been the cause.
Image:
Fireworks explode in the sky next to Rome's Colosseum
Loredana Diglio, a spokeswoman for the organisation, said: "It can be that they died from fear. They can fly up together and knock against each other, or hit windows or electric power lines. Let's not forget they can also die of heart attacks."

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