Nope, but they have been eating fermented berries. Every winter many bird species including waxwings, robins, jays, woodpeckers, grosbeaks, cardinals and even quail turn to berries as a food source to get them through the winter. As berries thaw after being frozen, sugars within the berries ferment and alcohol begins to form, which can tend to make these birds a bit tipsy. Even though most birds that consume berries in the winter time do not become intoxicated, every now and then some birds overdo it. Even though this can be alarming to us, these birds are simply doing what they have always done during the winter by making do with what food resources they have available.
Although ingesting too many fermented berries can be fatal, most of these birds are designed to deal with the toxins. Some bird species such as waxwings have large livers that help them to filter the alcohol from their system. Others such as blackbirds show signs that they have learned to avoid eating toxic berries.
Birds that consume too many fermented berries have trouble coordinating their flight movements and may even struggle to walk. In areas where fruit trees are prevalent, it is not uncommon to find song birds that have run into obstacles. Large reflective windows can be especially dangerous for tipsy song birds. Adding decals to large reflective surfaces can help birds such as Cedar waxwings and robins avoid smashing into those surfaces.
If a bird crashes into your window and survives, it is best to leave it alone if it’s not in danger from cats or other predators. If you think it might be threatened, you can use a towel to pick it up and place it in a box that has some holes in it. When you hear the bird become active, take the box outside and let it fly away. If it does not recover within a few hours, call your local wildlife rehabilitation center.
