A flock of more than 100 European starlings were killed in one small spot along Route 225 in northern Dauphin County.
A flock of more than 100 European starlings were killed in one small spot along Route 225 in northern Dauphin County.
A flock of more than 100 European starlings were killed along Route 225 in northern Dauphin County late last week.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission believes the birds were killed by passing cars and trucks.

"The birds showed signs of blunt-force trauma," said Travis Lau, communications director for the commission. "It's believed they were struck by one or more vehicles."

The 100-plus dead birds, along approximately 40 yards of Route 225 about a mile east of Halifax, were nearly all on the eastbound side of the road. The majority were off to the side of the road, although a couple dozen had been flattened on the eastbound travel lane.

Some of the European starlings killed as a flock along Route 225 in northern Dauphin County.
Some of the European starlings killed as a flock along Route 225 in northern Dauphin County.
Social media speculation presented several alternative possibilities for the cause of deaths for so many birds in one small location.

Some thought the electrical lines along the road, about 30 feet from the birds, may have malfunctioned and sent a charge through a roosting flock of birds. None of the dead birds were closer than 30 feet to those lines.

Others speculated that agricultural chemicals may have been the cause. The deaths occurred in an open area surrounded by agricultural fields.

And still others wondered in the cell tower 50-75 yards northwest of the birds may have played a part.

European starlings are one of the most common birds in agricultural and residential areas of Pennsylvania.

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, "All the European starlings in North America descended from 100 birds set loose in New York's Central Park in the early 1890s. The birds were intentionally released by a group who wanted America to have all the birds that Shakespeare ever mentioned. It took several tries, but eventually the population took off.

"Today, more than 200 million European starlings range from Alaska to Mexico, and many people consider them pests."

They are a non-native invasive species that competes aggressively against native birds like eastern bluebirds and tree swallows for the limited supply of vital nesting cavities.