This video was shared on Twitter showing birds fleeing an area. The post goes on to add that the birds allegedly anticipated the earthquake in Turkey.
Background
On Monday February 6, 2023, South Central Turkey was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Eleven minutes later, the United States Geological Survey says, this earthquake was followed by a 6.7 magnitude aftershock. The combined death toll as of March 2023 was estimated to be above 50,000.
According to World Data, before the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the most severe one to hit Turkey had occurred on August 8, 1999. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) says, while this magnitude of an earthquake could be rare anywhere in the world, it is expected on long, plate-boundary strike-slip faults.
Verification
A reverse search on TinEye shows this video was taken in Houston, Texas. The earliest results show a publication by the Daily Mail. In this publication, the birds were captured on a freeway in Houston. A similar reverse image search shows this video was featured in a fact-check by Misbar on January 24, 2023. According to the fact-check, this video was filmed in 2017, in Houston, Texas. See screengrab below;
Verdict
This video does not show birds fleeing an area that’s about to be struck by an earthquake in Turkey.
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