Officials say birds were legally poisoned by nearby farm - KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports

Residents in New Jersey community were left wondering Tuesday morning what caused dozens of birds to drop dead from the sky.

Residents in Millville found at least 80 birds -- mostly red-winged blackbirds -- on the ground dead having fallen from trees and the sky.

"Crazy, something out of a movie," said resident Michelle Cavalieri, who saw the birds fall from the sky.

The birds caused a bloody mess on roadways in the residential neighborhood.

"They'd get up and try and fly and they were out of control so they'd crash and fall again," said resident Jim Sinclair. "It was just strange."

Animal control, public health officials and other emergency crews were on the scene later Tuesday morning collecting dead birds to try and figure out exactly what caused so many of them to die.

Cumberland County Public Information Officer Troy Ferus said Tuesday that it wasn't something environmental that killed the birds but rather something they ate -- a granular pesticide put down legally by nearby Ingraldi Farms.

"Preliminary investigation gives us the impression that.. he had problems with birds," said Ferus. "He applied for and got a permit for a product that kills birds and that's what it seems to have been effective at doing."