At least 200 parrots have died in the last four days along the banks of the Narmada River in Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh. Officials say food poisoning is the cause after post-mortem reports ruled out bird flu. The parrot carcasses were found near an aqueduct bridge in the Badwah area. District wildlife warden Tony Sharma said some parrots were alive during rescue, but died shortly due to the toxic food. The deaths sparked fear of bird flu, but veterinary tests found no infection. Forest department officials have banned feeding birds near the aqueduct bridge and placed staff there to enforce the rule. Viscera samples were sent to Jabalpur for further analysis. Veterinary and forest department teams have monitored the site for four days following alerts from locals. Dr Manisha Chauhan, who conducted the post-mortems, confirmed signs of food poisoning with no bird flu detected. She noted, "People often unknowingly feed birds food that proves fatal to their digestive systems." Dr Suresh Baghel from the veterinary department said rice and small pebbles appeared in the birds' stomachs. He added, "Prima facie, the deaths seem to be linked to improper feeding," pointing to pesticide exposure from sprayed fields and polluted river water. Officials emphasize that visitors feeding cooked or leftover food to birds at the site likely caused the poisoning. Strict rules remain to protect the local bird population.