SUMMARY:

Kererū, green-blue pigeons native to New Zealand, like to sun themselves after dining on fruit. But in warm summer months, the bird’s sunbathing has a surprising side-effect. A part of their digestive system called the crop stores their latest snack – where it begins to ferment, eventually making the pigeons drunk! The rotund creatures often get so tipsy that they fall out of trees, prompting compassionate people to deliver them to local bird rescues and let them sober up.

FULL EPISODE:

 

LISTEN DAILY:

BirdNote is sponsored locally by Chirp Nature Center and airs live every day at 4 p.m. on KBHR 93.3 FM. See more BirdNote stories.

(Content courtesy of birdnote.org.)