--- title: Drunk Birds Are Flying High in Gilbert, Minnesota description: Drunk birds unable to handle their alcohol (from fermented berries, that is) are causing a ruckus in a small Minnesota town. canonical: https://time.com/5415378/drunk-birds-minnesota/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-10-04T15:47:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2024-01-17T15:11:40.000Z og:title: These Drunk Birds Are Flying High Around Town og:description: Flying under the influence og:url: https://time.com/5415378/drunk-birds-minnesota/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt22ec1dc756877307/69893c1197cdfff6bf6b66ab/gettyimages-1026894364.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4304 og:image:height: 2421 og:image:alt: American Robin bird perched on a tree branch og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: These Drunk Birds Are Flying High Around Town twitter:description: Flying under the influence twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt22ec1dc756877307/69893c1197cdfff6bf6b66ab/gettyimages-1026894364.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Drunk Birds Can't Handle Their Alcohol, Are Flying Under the Influence Around Town > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=b8e801c3-c0ba-4314-b4fa-655d2ac92d54&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=b8e801c3-c0ba-4314-b4fa-655d2ac92d54&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=b8e801c3-c0ba-4314-b4fa-655d2ac92d54&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Updated: Jan 17, 2024 3:11 PM UTCPublished: Oct 4, 2018 3:47 PM UTC  American Robin bird perched on a tree branch. (Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images) American Robin bird perched on a tree branch. (Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)Roberto Machado Noa—LightRocket via Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Updated: Jan 17, 2024 3:11 PM UTCPublished: Oct 4, 2018 3:47 PM UTC A flock of drunk [birds just looking for a good time](http://time.com/4853922/bird-study-ravens-planning-intelligence/) out on the town is disrupting the peace of Gilbert, Minnesota. In Gilbert, an early frost has [fermented local berries](http://time.com/5022813/worlds-oldest-wine-georgia-grapes/), leading to young birds getting drunk from eating them. This, in turn, has led to unorthodox behavior from these winged residents: flying lower than usual, crashing into cars and windows, and losing their balance. In a statement posted to the town police’s Facebook page, Police Chief Ty Techar explained that these intoxicated birds would be sobering up soon. “The Gilbert Police Department has received several reports of birds that appear to be ‘under the influence,’ flying into windows, cars, and acting confused.” Techar then explained that the problem may appear more pronounced this year not just because of the early frost, but because many of the birds had not migrated south yet. “It appears that some birds are getting a little more ‘tipsy’ than normal,” Techar wrote. “Generally, younger birds’ livers cannot handle the toxins as efficiently as more mature birds. There is no need to call law enforcement about these birds as they should sober up within a short period of time.” The statement ends on a humorous note, advising Gilbert residents to alert the police department if they see “Tweety acting as if 10 feet tall and getting into confrontations with cats” or “any other birds after midnight with Taco Bell items.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5415378/drunk-birds-minnesota/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5415378/drunk-birds-minnesota/"},"headline":"Drunk Birds Can't Handle Their Alcohol, Are Flying Under the Influence Around Town","datePublished":"2018-10-04T15:47:44.000Z","dateModified":"2024-01-17T15:11:40.000Z","description":"Flying under the influence","url":"https://time.com/5415378/drunk-birds-minnesota/","keywords":["Newsfeed","animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt22ec1dc756877307/69893c1197cdfff6bf6b66ab/gettyimages-1026894364.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt22ec1dc756877307/69893c1197cdfff6bf6b66ab/gettyimages-1026894364.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"American Robin bird perched on a tree branch","caption":"American Robin bird perched on a tree branch","creditText":"Roberto Machado Noa—LightRocket via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5415378/drunk-birds-minnesota/","name":"Drunk Birds Can't Handle Their Alcohol, Are Flying Under the Influence Around Town"}}]}] ```