Nearly 400 birds killed in 'freak accident' as storm smashes them into Texas skyscraper

Conservation charity Houston Audubon says incident serves as 'tough reminder for bird-friendly lighting and design'

Some of the nearly 400 dead birds which crashed into the American National Building during a storm ( Josh Henderson/Courtesy Galveston Animal Services Unit/Handout via REUTERS)

Hundreds of birds were killed after they smashed into a skyscraper in Texas while flying in a storm, local authorities said.

Nearly 400 migratory birds died last Wednesday in what has been described as a “freak accident" as they migrated from the Gulf of Mexico.

Office workers arriving at the Galveston building the following morning found the colourful birds, with feathers in shades of blue, green and yellow, dead on the ground, according to Galveston Police animal services supervisor Josh Henderson.

"This is the largest event like this I have ever been a part of in over 10 years," he told the Houston Chronicle.

Thousands of birds had been migrating to the Gulf of Texas when a storm pushed them onto a collision course with the building.

Conservation charity Houston Audubon said the incident served as "a tough reminder for bird-friendly lighting and design."

“These are showy, beautiful birds that bird watchers really get excited to see,” said Richard Gibbons, the charity’s director.

“It was really a freak accident.”