# Birds getting drunk on pyracantha bushes?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birds-getting-drunk-on-pyracantha-bushes/44043>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [December 5, 2000, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birds-getting-drunk-on-pyracantha-bushes/44043 "2000-12-05T00:24:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Adriatic\_Ionian\_AEgean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Adriatic\_Ionian\_AEgean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adriatic_Ionian_AEgean)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birds-getting-drunk-on-pyracantha-bushes/44043/1 "2000-12-05T00:24:55Z")

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Do they? Birds are often found under the bushes.  
Some claim the fruit has turned to alcohol, which is hard to believe.  
I’ve also heard that they simply overeat and lose their flight balance, then can’t fly fast and high enough to escape cats.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birds-getting-drunk-on-pyracantha-bushes/44043/2 "2000-12-05T03:33:46Z")

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Um, **Adriatic Ionian Ægean** , was this intended to be a Comment on one of Cecil’s Columns? If so, could you please provide a link (if available)? If not, just say the word, and any of us moderators would be willing to move it over to (presumably) General Questions.

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**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birds-getting-drunk-on-pyracantha-bushes/44043/3 "2000-12-05T04:08:31Z")

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And at any rate, the answer is “yes”. Well known phenomenon in San Francisco which planted a lot of them as ornamentals, and we’ve been here before:

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=23158](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=23158)

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**Author:** ![Adriatic\_Ionian\_AEgean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Adriatic\_Ionian\_AEgean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adriatic_Ionian_AEgean)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birds-getting-drunk-on-pyracantha-bushes/44043/4 "2000-12-31T03:31:16Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Chronos \*  
> \*\*Um, **Adriatic Ionian Ægean** , was this intended to be a Comment on one of Cecil’s Columns? If so, could you please provide a link (if available)? If not, just say the word, and any of us moderators would be willing to move it over to (presumably) General Questions. \*\*

I wondered where this got to!

Yes, you’re quite right, I meant it for GQ.  
Not a clue how it got here. Guess I had two windows open that day.

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**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/birds-getting-drunk-on-pyracantha-bushes/44043/5 "2000-12-31T17:20:16Z")

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I will then close this thread and invite you to re-open it in General Questions if you wish.

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moderator, «[**Comments on Cecil’s Columns**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1)»