What was claimed
A photo shows hundreds of dead birds killed by 5G signals.
Our verdict
This is not true. The photo is at least five years old, predating 5G.
Dead birds in India were not killed by 5G
19 May 2021
A Facebook post, which includes a photo of what appears to be hundreds of dead birds, claims 5G signals are to blame.
Text beneath the photo states: “oh look the birds are falling out of the sky and the trees in India, Just like the People Dying there.. I wonder Why??? 60ghz 5G I would Guess A Military grade weapon originally…”
However, we know the birds were not killed by 5G, not least because the photo is at least five years old.
Fact checkers in India report the image has also been used to falsely claim the birds died of heatstroke.
Another article from 2016 claims the photo was taken in Bihar, India, seven years before, after birds died from eating seeds containing high doses of a pesticide.
Although we can’t be certain whether the photo is 12 years old or if the birds died from pesticides, the fact the photo was published in at least 2016 confirms 5G signals were not responsible. As this timeline by technology website Tech Advisor shows, in 2016 5G was only being tested. It has only recently been rolled out commercially in the UK and Europe, while in India the government has only recently approved 5G trials.
Even if it was a newer photo, there’s no evidence 5G can kill birds, trees or people. We have also published a number of fact checks debunking claims about 5G.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because the photo is at least five years old therefore predating 5G, and there’s no proof 5G can kill birds.