Fact check: Birds in Kentucky dead from blunt force trauma, not train derailment chemicals

Eleanor McCrary, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: Post implies Ohio train derailment caused Kentucky birds to die

A Feb. 16 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) includes three images of dead birds scattered around a rainy parking lot.

"Here’s a parking lot full of D€@D BIRDS in Lexington, KY," reads the caption. "350 miles SW of East Palestine, OH..."

It also contains the hashtags "#KindaSus" and "#GTFOOfOhio."

Commenters also connected the deaths to Ohio, including one that said, "Kentucky borders Ohio. The poor birds just tried to get out??"

The post received over 2,000 shares in four days.

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Our rating: Missing context

The implied claim here is wrong. The birds died from blunt force trauma, not anything connected to the Ohio train derailment, according to a veterinarian with Kentucky's Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. As of Feb. 22, there have been no bird illnesses or deaths in Kentucky connected to the derailment, officials said.

Birds died from blunt force trauma, officials say

On Feb. 3, a train containing hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. In the following days, officials performed a controlled release of toxic chemicals from the cars into the environment due to fears of an explosion, USA TODAY reported.

The release of the chemicals has prompted concern about the possible dangers posed to the surrounding communities and wildlife in the area.

Ohio train derailment fact check: What's true and what's false?

But the birds in this post did not die from those chemicals, according to officials from Kentucky's Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

Severe thunderstorms rolled through Lexington, Kentucky, in the early morning of Feb. 16, right before the birds were found, LEX18 reported.

A technician with the wildlife agency collected the bird carcasses to determine their cause of death, said Kevin Kelly, one of the department's communications officers.

"Dr. Christine Casey examined the carcasses (on Feb. 17)," said Kelly. "She found nothing to indicate the deaths were caused by anything other than blunt force trauma. The birds probably got startled by thunder and/or lightning, took flight and flew into a solid surface."

As of Feb. 20, the department has not received reports of bird deaths or illness in Kentucky that would connect to the derailment in Ohio.

Fact check: Image shows birds that died in 2018, not from Ohio train derailment

David Westneat, a behavioral ecologist who studies birds at the University of Kentucky, said he was also unaware of any reports of birds in Kentucky dying in a way that would lead him to believe it was connected to the train derailment.

"I have had no observations of strange behavior in birds lately," he said. "The idea that the train derailment in East Palestine has any effect here in Lexington is very unlikely since it is 350 miles away and prevailing winds are in the other direction."

As of Feb. 23, the only animal deaths confirmed to have been caused by the derailment are 3,500 fish in Ohio, USA TODAY previously reported. However, there are several anecdotal reports of animals in East Palestine becoming sick soon after the Feb. 3 wreck.

USA TODAY reached out to social media users who shared the post for comment.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Kentucky birds died from blunt force trauma, not chemicals

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