“They weigh about 2 ounces. A dead one falling from a high altitude would reach a low terminal velocity and not cause much damage”
But the theory put forth in the story is that the birds were frightened by fireworks, and flew into cars and houses, killing themselves...different than just falling out of the sky. If this theory were true, I would expect to see a few scrathes on cars, and beaks stuck in wood siding.
OK, I see what you’re saying.
Slight scrapes maybe, but people might not even notice. I don’t think they are fast enough to stick into most things. I do know that small birds can leave a nice smudge on windows when they hit fast.