What is the 'Birds aren't real' movement? Why is it gaining momentum across the US?

The “Birds Aren’t Real” movement in the United States is gaining momentum across the nation as it started conducting rallies, making Springfield, Missouri, its first stop. According to Fox affiliate KTVI, the said movement claims that over 12 billion birds in the US have been killed by the government and replaced with drones used to spy on citizens. 

Peter Mcindoe, the face of the movement, reportedly explained that birds sit on power lines, which makes him believe that they are charging on the electric lines. He even went on to say that the bird poop on cars is a “liquid tracking apparatus” which makes him believe that all birds in the US are “artificial”. 

‘Birds Aren’t Real’ movement 

According to reports, ‘Birds Aren’t Real’ was actually formed for satirical purposes, poking fun at other conspiracy theorists on the internet with wild claims, such as QAnon. Mcindoe claims that he did not start the movement, however, he was the first one to go live with the campaign back in January 2017 during a Memphis Women’s March. Mcindoe, an English and Philosophy major at the University of Memphis in Tennessee, held up a sign at the local Women’s March that read, “Birds are a myth; they’re an illusion; they’re a lie. Wake up America! Wake up”. 

According to the non-profit environmental organization National Audubon Society, Mcindoe is the creative mastermind behind the conspiracy, which he uses to earn money by selling Birds Aren’t Real-inspired goods. As conspiracy theories over politics and the coronavirus pandemic took off in the last two years, the ‘Birds Aren’t Real’ movement also grew. On their website, the movement offers a long history and explanation for the theory, which involved the American intelligence community. 

It is worth noting that ​​’Birds Aren’t Real’ relies on internet-fueled guerilla marketing to spread the message. Ever since Micindow went live at the Memphis Women’s March, the movement has gained a large fanbase with over 360,000 Reddit subscribers and around 323k followers on Instagram. “Birds Aren't Real. They used to be. Until the U.S. Government replaced them with identical drone replicas designed to spy on the American public,” reads the social media account’s bio. 

(Image: Instagram)