Cranes and wild animals took to streets 'to warn people' of Hurricane Milton

Hurricane Milton has officially made its way through Florida, bringing devastation in its wake, with even the animals impacted by the damage .

The Category 3 hurricane had wind gusts of 100 mph as it knocked out power for 3 million people in the state. Some of the damage is already being recorded, like the giant crane that collapsed on the Tampa Bay Times building in St. Petersburg.

Residents were scrambling to board up their homes before the storm arrived, while many state leaders were urging people to evacuate.

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Some people realized they needed to heed those warnings as wild animals started exhibiting unusual behavior before the storm. X user @Eviljohna posted videos of cranes walking through the streets of a residential community.

They wrote: “If nothing else convinced me to evacuate, this sure as hell would! It’s like the cranes are canvassing communities, sounding the alarm.”

If you can't see the videos above, click here .

The video shows a flock of cranes traversing through the city, vocalizing their bird call. It’s a high pitched, clicking sound that is eerie amid the silent, mostly evacuated city.

In the comments, people commented on the bird’s unsettling behavior.

One person wrote: “Those are some apocalyptic sounds.”

Someone else said: “I hope these cranes seek higher ground before the hurricane hits.”

According to The Weather Network, birds can sense a drop in barometric pressure. Low-pressure systems often bring poor weather while high-pressure systems bring pleasant weather.

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Dr. Robert Ledgerer, an ornithologist and emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences at California State University, said: “"Birds respond mostly to barometric pressure because it is harder to fly in low-pressure systems than in high-pressure systems.

"When the pressure is high, the air is denser, and the birds’ wings have something to press against. Conversely, in lower air pressure systems, there are fewer molecules of air to press against, so it takes more effort and energy to fly."

Some studies have shown that observing bird’s nesting behavior may help predict the severity of hurricanes. One researcher said one type of veery, a small bird in North America, has been known to begin its migration season earlier in the year on years when the hurricane season is particularly bad.

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