Hundreds of roosting birds die after New Year's Eve celebrations

Hundreds of dead birds lined streets following New Year's Eve celebrations in Rome, Italy, with an animal rights group blaming fireworks for the "massacre".

As reported by Sky News, video footage and photos shared to social media show "hundreds" of birds - mainly starlings - lying dead in the roads near the main train station in the Italian capital.

The cause behind the birds' mass death is still not certain, but the International Organisation for the Protection of Animals has blamed the firecrackers and fireworks that were set off to celebrate the new year.

[[facebookwidget||https://www.facebook.com/oipaonlus/posts/10158163164263512]]

Spokeswoman for the organization Loredana Diglio, said: "It can be that they died from fear. They can fly up together and knock against each other, or hit windows or electric power lines. Let's not forget they can also die of heart attacks."

The organization also described the incident as a "massacre", the Associated Press reports.

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/OIPAInternation/status/1345064655308386304]]

The "leafy" neighborhood where many of the birds were found is a known roosting ground for the animals.

The Sun, reports that city officials had banned firework displays throughout Rome - introduced to protect people, animals, and heritage sites - but this was "widely ignored".

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/animal_leaks/status/1345107336067751938]]

The Italian capital had also imposed a 10:00PM curfew as part of its Covid-19 restrictions.

Per Sky News, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) does say that there is "little evidence" to suggest that fireworks harm wild birds, with the impact of fireworks believed to be similar to that of a thunderstorm.

Despite this, the society also admits that further research is needed to ensure the best course of action for their conservation, as well as informing the public:

"To minimise any adverse impact of fireworks on birds, we urge organisers of firework displays to avoid launching the rockets near to sensitive wildlife areas, such as nature reserves, and nesting and roosting sites for wild birds."

In one video shared to social media taken from outside the Roma Termini train station, per The Sun, the person behind the camera can be heard saying: "This is the disgusting side of human nature.

"The fireworks. Hundreds of dead birds. Unbelievable. Look how many there are."