Chicago residents advised to bark at dive-bombing blackbirds

Chicago residents have been warned to beware of blackbirds after a spate of dive-bombing attacks on cyclists and pedestrians.

The fiercely territorial behaviour of the male red-winged blackbird has been blamed for a series of incidents.



People have complained of being chased for up to 100 yards, pecked in the head and had their hair clawed.

Douglas Stotz, a conservation ornithologist at the city's Field Museum, advised anyone targeted by an angry blackbird to stare directly at it. If that fails, barking like a dog should keep it away, he said.