Bird kills are common On Jan 27 2009 there was an intentional kill of about 5000 starlings in NJ.
“carcasses of starlings still pepper the snowy roads and lawns of central New Jersey’s rural Griggstown community three days after federal officials used a pesticide to kill as many as 5,000 of the birds.
Many residents Monday were still getting over their shock from the sudden spate of deaths. Some were unaware that the deaths resulted from an intentional culling and that the pesticide used was harmless to people and pets.
“It was raining birds,” said Franklin Township Mayor Brian Levine. “It got people a little anxious.”
You can find many other example of this with a few minutes of searching. The reason I’m guessing ZnP is I personally have seen it work on members of the Rodentia family. It is quick. 1 -2 minutes. Birds can be eating it, suddenly get spooked, fly off and then drop.
The lab tests will tell the truth – much to the chagrin of the person or persons responsible.