Historical wildlife deaths
This list is by no means scientific and deals primarily with animals falling from the sky.
- I know it has often rained fishes….it once rained fish uninterruptedly for three days. Athenaeus 200AD
- Norfolk, England - small toads fell from the sky in such vast numbers that the local people were greatly inconvenienced. October 1683 Phenomena: A book of wonders
- Andes - 43 square English miles were covered with mud and fishes. June 1698. Annals of Philosophy (August 1823) Possibly the result of a volcanic eruption
- Haiti - A great quantity of black eggs fell on Port-au-Prince. May 5th 1786. A Naturalist’s Soujourn in Jamaica
- Lalain, France - …there began to fall on the ground all about a considerable number of toads, the size of hazelnuts… 1794 Monthly Weather Review May 1917
- Poitiers, France - ..which in a moment covered the ground, and which I recognized as little toads… June 23, 1809 Monthly Weather Review May 1917
- Argyllshire, Scotland - …three or four barrels of herring fry…scattered on mossy ground. 1817. The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, April-October 1826
- Argyllshire, Scotland - A shower of herring fell on a hill…The fish were large and of good quality. 1821 The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, April-October 1826
- Cambridge, Maryland - A ditch was found to contain hundred of fish from four to seven inches long. The nearest river was one mile away. 1828. The American Journal of Science and Arts July 1829
- Faridpur, India - A large number of fish fell from heaven. They were saul, sale, guzal, mirgal, and bodul. February 19th 1830. The Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal December 1833
- Derby, England - …hundred of small fish and frogs fell…July 1841. The Anthenaeum July 17th 1841
- San Francisco - Benicia army station: troops on the drill ground were showered with blood and pieces of meat, apparently beef. July 20th 1851. San Francisco Herald July 24th 1851
Skipping ahead a bit and focusing on birds and other weirdness
- Baton Rouge, LA - An early morning deluge of dead birds fell from a clear sky…wild ducks, catbirds, woodpeckers and many birds of strange plumage. Nov 1896 Monthly Weather Review May 1917
- Shreveport, LA - Workers on a roof had to take shelter from a deluge of green peaches. July 12th 1961. Weird America p. 98
- California - tons of dead and injured Sooty Shearwaters (oceanic birds) fell on the coast of CA from Pleasure Point to Rio Del Mar….thousands of corpses…August 18th, 1961. Santa Cruz Sentinel August 18th 1961
- St. Mary’s City, Maryland - Hundreds of badly injured ducks - canvasbacks, red-heads and scaup…. January 1969. The Enterprise January 30th, 1969
I left out tons of accounts of fish, frogs, lizards, meat, blood, rocks and other wacky stuff since we are focused on animals and birds are of particular interest.
