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Houston Matters

What’s The Deal With Houston’s Grackle Infestation?

With our swarms of birds flooding the sky and perching en masse on power lines, Alfred Hitchcock’s got nothing on Houston. We find out why.

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Downtown Grackles
Adam Baker/Flickr
A swarm of grackles in downtown Houston.

There's a strange phenomenon you may have witnessed during your evening commute over the past couple of months. We're talking about huge flocks of black birds perched in some pretty odd places, including highway exit signs and parking lots. They’re grackles, and they’re everywhere.

In the audio above, Houston Matters producer Maggie Martin investigates what's behind the spectacle.