The main role of the film is played by Tippi Hedren, who plays Melanie Daniels. Who plays a young wealthy woman who meets a man called Mitch Brenner played by Rod Taylor. Mitch explains to Melanie how his little sister wants some Lovebirds. Melanie becomes attracted to Mitch in a strange way, and drives to Bodega Bay where Mitch lives to give the lovebirds to his sister. After driving to Bodega Boy, she travelled across the bay in a boat to sneak into Mitch's house to place the lovebirds there. While Melanie is travelling back across the bay Mitch spots her and travels round the bay to meet her on the other side. While he is waiting for her she gets attacked and injured by a seagull. Mitch helps her and invites her to stay for dinner, Melanie agreed.
Melanie then meets Mitch's mother who is not fond of Melanie. While Melanie is staying at hr friends house that night, a seagull dies when it dives into the front door. This was a start of strange events. The next day Mitch's younger sister Cathy has a birthday party, and while that children are playing outside a swarm birds begin to attack the children and the adults have to save the children form them. On the same day a swarm of birds invade the house through he chimney and begin attacking the house. While Lydia is at a farmers house to ask him about the recent bird attacks, she discovers a dead body in the farmers house where the birds had invaded and attacked the old man. She fled the house in terror and drives home to Mitch and Melanie. Because of this Lydia becomes worried about the safety of Cathy at school. Melanie offers to go to the school and check up on the children. She discovers the playground outside the school full of birds and tries to evacuate the children but the birds attack and injured some of the children.
While Melanie and Mitch are at a local restaurant, a drunken man explains that he see's the birds attacking as the sign that the world is ending. While outside the restaurant a man is filling his car at petrol station while the birds are collecting in the air. The man is spilling petrol on the floor and drooped a lighten match on the floor which ignites the petrol which kills him. The birds begin to attack and cause havoc in the town. Melanie takes cover in a phone box and wait for the birds to leave. When Melanie and Mitch return homes they find the Annie who Melanie is staying with has been killed by the birds while saving Cathy and pushing her into the house.
Because of the continuing bird attacks Mitch builds barricades to cover the doors and windows of is house. Later that evening the birds began to attack the house and start braking trough the barricades. Meanwhile in the house Melanie can hear a sound coming from upstairs so she proceeds up the stairs. She enters to lot and starts to be attacked by the birds. Melanie is hurt so badly she passes out and Mitch saves her from the room. Mitch then tries to take Melanie to the hospital, but has the get out the house through the gathering birds sitting outside the house. Mitch gets all of the family members out of the house and the films ends with them driving away while the birds are sitting outside the house.
