The Mysterious phenomenon in Jatinga

Jatinga – the place where birds come to commit suicide. Yes, you heard it right, birds committing suicide. Though unbelievable, it’s true. Located in Dima Hasao district of Assam, India, this place is famous as every year hundreds of birds come and die here. The birds simply flutter down in a trance around the lights and are later caught by the people. Let's learn more about this eerie phenomenon.

Jatinga birds mystery (image source: geographyforyou.com)

During the months of August and September, Jatinga, a small village in Assam, comes alive with a strange and mysterious phenomenon. Hundreds of birds of various colours and types just drop out of the sky. Some of the birds fall to the ground directly, while others that are lingering over the village are brought down by the locals.

Also known as the “bird mystery of Jatinga”, this phenomenon has baffled scientists all over the world as it is something never heard or seen before.

There are numerous legends surrounding this unexplained event. Initially, the natives thought it was caused by bad spirits descending from the sky to torment them. Residents of Jatinga recollect their forefathers telling them of a small hamlet of Naga tribes that once existed in the area. One day, they set out with lighted flares on a moonless night in search of a lost buffalo. Birds swooped down on them from the darkness as soon as they reached the Jatinga ridge. The Nagas were terrified and fled, believing them to be terrible spirits. They soon abandoned the area, but a few years a group of Jaintia tribes came and settled here.

But what exactly is the specific cause of the occurrence remains a mystery to this day. What's stranger is that almost all of the birds are diurnal, meaning they're active throughout the day and never leave their nests at night. According to studies, whatever mystery force is causing the birds to flock like lemmings to their deaths, it only functions at Jatinga and only on certain nights in August and September when a set of conditions are in place. In fact, a community barely two kilometres north of Jatinga is utterly ignored by the birds, despite locals' repeated attempts to attract them with lights. It's as if the phenomenon is virtually non-existent beyond the narrow strip.

The behaviour of the affected birds is perhaps the most perplexing feature of this phenomenon. They become absolutely lost and confused the instant they arrive over Jatinga, lured by the lights. The birds that do not drop down, fly aimlessly above the village until they are brought down by the villagers with long bamboo sticks. Even though some species, such as green pigeons and teals, have a strong "flocking instinct", they appear to lose it completely above Jatinga.

According to some studies, the majority of the birds die since floods occur during this period and the birds lose their natural habitat. Because their nests are destroyed, they are forced to travel to new locations, and Jatinga is on their migratory path. Others claim that due to the considerable fog quality at the time, there are unknown conditions at high elevations and high-speed winds.

Though various explanations emerge from time to time, no one has been able to adequately articulate why such a phenomenon occurs, and it remains a mystery to us even now.

The phenomenon remained completely unnoticed until recently due to the village's remoteness. It was only in 1957, when British ornithologist E.P. Gee visited Jatinga and published his observations in his book "The Wildlife of India," which for the first time brought this phenomenon to global attention.

ln 1977, Dr Sudhin Sengupta, an ornithologist from the Zoological Survey of India went to Jatinga and lived there between August and October. He noted how hundreds of birds not only drop out of the sky but some even flew into one’s bedroom when the lights were on. When picked up, the birds are always seemed to be confused and rarely tries to flee. Most of the birds die and the ones that do survive refuses food.

After Sengupta, another forest officer H.P. Phukan went to the village to gather more information. With the help of the Forest Department, he built a high steel a high steel tower fitted with powerful electric lights at the lower end of the village. The purpose behind this was to attract the majority of the birds which would then be released rather than being killed by the villagers

However, his efforts did not bring much success. Although the tower lights have attracted some birds, the majority of them still dropped in the main village. Also, the birds that did gather around the tower soon died as a result of whatever strange force draws them to Jatinga.

So far, Dr Sengupta and H. P. Phukan have identified partridges, green pigeons, bitterns, emerald doves, and waterbirds like as egrets, moorhens, and many types of kingfishers among the birds that kill themselves. They have also noticed that certain bird species appear to be able to withstand the deadly siren call. The phenomena has little effect on birds such as grouse, hornbills, sparrows, mynas, and thrushes, which are commonly seen in and around the area.

Birds getting attracted to lights in Jatinga (image source: asianage.com)

Birds lay dead in Jatinga (image source: timesnowmarathi.com)