MovieChat Forums > The Birds (1963) Discussion > Why did the birds attack? Mystery solve...

Why did the birds attack? Mystery solved.

posted 2 years ago by jonathan_k80 (6436)
14 replies | jump to latest

One of the inspirations for this film was an incident which took place in another coastal California town called Capitola:

In the summer of 1961 hundreds of birds attacked the town. Most of the birds were sooty shearwaters, a normally non-aggressive species that rarely comes to shore. Alfred Hitchcock was a regular visitor to nearby Santa Cruz and read about this episode. He went on to direct a film—The Birds —based on the idea of hundreds of birds attacking humans. The reason for this attack remained unknown for over 25 years until it was discovered that the birds had been affected by domoic acid, a toxin produced by red algae.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitola,_California#History

Further information for anyone interested:
https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/12/07/this-hitchcock-movie-was-inspired-by-crab-toxin-frenzy-in-capitola/

[–] Jennie_Portrait (804) 2 years ago

Thanks very much. This is super interesting!

[–] jonathan_k80 (6436) 2 years ago

🙂

[–] TimeTunnel (4658) 2 years ago

Means, the birdies were high as the kites.
🪁 🪁 🪁 🪁 🪁 🪁 🪁 🪁 🪁 🪁 🪁 🪁 🪁 🪁 🪁 🪁

[–] jonathan_k80 (6436) 2 years ago

Exactly. They were "high" on domoic acid. This means the birds were "dropping acid" even before the hippies. 🙂

[–] TimeTunnel (4658) 2 years ago

Hahahaha....these hippie birds were real trendsetters. ☺
Reminds to the crazy wallabies. 🦘🦘🦘
https://theworld.org/stories/2011-08-02/stoned-wallabies-blamed-crop-circles-australia

[–] jonathan_k80 (6436) 2 years ago

It says the sheep were also doing it. Too funny.

[–] TimeTunnel (4658) 2 years ago

Ohhh...totally forgot the sheep were in the poppy fields also.
Well, sheep are famous for knowing what's good (they really do).
Just follow the sheep herd. 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/cannabis-munching-sheep-left-high-kite-4455124

[–] jonathan_k80 (6436) 2 years ago

🙂

[–] christomacin (4530) 2 years ago

Hitchcock couldn't have been aware of the cause, though, and had his own ideas about why the birds attacked.

[–] greenbudgie (2355) 2 years ago

Hitchcock hints, in the trailer for the movie, that the birds are taken revenge for man having kept birds in cages. So presumably the wild birds are joining in, in a collective avenging warfare against humanity who has taken away the freedom of caged birds. But Hitchcock was never drawn on clearly giving a reason for the attacks after the movie was released.

[–] millsey72 (9591) 10 months ago

It would have been better if the birds acquired the power of speech, so they could have just said the reason why they turned on mankind

[–] javie (2203) 2 years ago

I buy them, I take them home and I cook them.

[–] lm362 (341) a year ago

This and the novel is what the movie is based on. But there was no explanation given in the movie as to why the attacks occurred. It is left up to each viewer as to the reason.

[–] greenbudgie (2355) a year ago

I had a gull swoop so close to my head this morning. Living in an estuary port town I've had this before. In future I shall keep the other side of the road where they hang out. On the way back I noticed two gulls stationed on rooves of a particular road I walk along often. They definitely don't like anyone on their side of the road. They've got youngsters nesting somewhere I expect.