Miami Beach officials say that blackbirds have been dive-bombing people walking along sidewalks.
The boat-tail grackles, large songbirds with rounded crowns and long legs, are the culprits, and the birds are nesting on the palm trees that line up along 41st Street, between Alton Road and Palm Drive.
Grackles attack people and pets when they perceive a threat to nests or young, and minor injuries have been documented, so pedestrians should be careful.
The city code designates the area as a bird sanctuary, federal law must be followed to deal with the perching birds humanely.
“We take this matter and the safety of our residents very seriously,” the spokesperson wrote.
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