More than 800 migrating birds make a pit stop inside a family's Southern California home
The adage “birds of a feather flock together” has taken a new meaning for a California family that discovered over 800 birds as guests in their home.
The Torrance, California family returned home from dinner on April 21 in Torrance to discover migrating birds had invaded their home through the chimney flute, KTLA reported. The TV station withheld the last name of the family at their request.
A video from the family showed the birds circling above the home before diving into the chimney.
“It’s so hard to explain. If you don’t see it with your own eyes, you’d never believe it,” a family member told the station.
Local county animal control officials advised the family to leave the doors open for the birds to escape. The only problem: they didn’t want to leave.
After the flock failed to take flight from her home, the family opted to stay in a hotel while a relative, Patrick Belleville, came over to try to evict the swarm.
“They acted like they wanted to get out, but they wasn’t going nowhere,” Belleville said to the station. “They were just flying around, just everywhere, every room in the house, every bathroom.”
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The flock eventually vacated the home and were believed to be passing through Southern California as they migrate north.
Before the migratory birds vacated the premises, they left a parting gift.
“You couldn’t walk in any spot in the living room, the kitchen and the hallway without stepping on bird droppings,” a family member told the TV station.
Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: agilbert@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Birds take over Southern California family's home
