NEWBURYPORT, Mass. — A stunning “birdnado” was spotted over a Massachusetts wildlife refuge on Tuesday, in what officials described as a scene reminiscent of the movie “Twister.”
Stunning video shared by the United States Department of the Interior showed thousands of tree swallows taking flight at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Newburyport.
Officials say the tree swallows are known to gather in the thousands during the fall migration season, stopping in various places to rest and refuel.
“The refuge’s marshes and coastal habitats provide plenty of insects and berries to help fuel the next leg of their journey south,” the department wrote in a Facebook post.
The department added, “When enough swallows show up at once, migration starts looking a lot like ‘Twister’... the original... not the remake.”
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service noted that the massing of tree swallows at Parker River is an annual phenomenon.
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