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The US Fish and Wildlife Service has released footage capturing the moment when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Northern California. The video shows how the birds at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex and areas surrounding the Sacramento Valley reacted to the tremors.
The powerful earthquake shook a sparsely populated area of northern California on Thursday (December 5), forcing many to evacuate the low-lying areas amid a tsunami warning by the authorities, which was later cancelled.
US Fish and Wildlife Service has now shared a video featuring how the wildlife reacted to the strong tremors.
The webcam footage at the Sacramento complex shows waterfowl foraging and wading in a wetland.
"Yesterday, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Northern California, with the epicentre off the coast near Eureka. Even the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex and areas across the Sacramento Valley felt the shake! After the shaking subsided, our team at the refuge checked the webcam footage—and guess what? It caught the whole event! Watch the video to see just how long the quake lasted. At the end, you'll notice a flurry of birds startled into flight," read the Facebook post by the US agency.
The post garnered more than 36,000 views on the platform. People have made a bee-line to the comments section to share their thoughts.
"They don't freak out as much as I do … lucky they can fly away … I'm grounded," a person wrote.
Another added, "Great video. Amazing how all the birds suddenly lifted their heads at the same time."
The earthquake struck at 10:44 AM Pacific Time, while the tsunami warning, which extended along 500 miles (800 km) of the California and Oregon coasts, was called off by authorities around 90 minutes after the tremors, according to the National Weather Service.
No deaths or injuries have been reported so far. The US Geological Survey informed that the quake was centred about 39 miles (63 km) west of the town of Ferndale.
As many as 4.7 million residents of California and Oregon were under the tsunami warning before it was cancelled.