Revenge of the birds!

 

I'm still laughing after reading this report.

In cities around the world, anti-bird spikes are used to protect statues and balconies from unwanted birds - but now, it appears the birds are getting their own back.

Dutch researchers have found that some birds use the spikes as weapons around their nests - using them to keep pests away in the same way that humans do.

It shows amazing adaptability, biologist Auke-Florian Hiemstra says.

"They are incredible fortresses - like a bunker for birds," he told the BBC.

. . .

Mr Hiemstra's research started in the courtyard of a hospital in Antwerp, Belgium, where an enormous magpie nest was found containing some 1,500 spikes.

"For the first few minutes, I just stared at it - this strange, beautiful, weird nest," Mr Hiemstra explained.

He says the spikes were pointing outwards, creating a perfect armour around the nest.

A trip to the hospital roof confirmed it - about 50m (164 ft) of anti-bird spike strips had been ripped off the building - all that remained was the trail of glue.

. . .

Mr Hiemstra says ... there are several aspects to the nest architecture that suggest the birds are using the spikes as protection.

One is their placement - the spikes are on the roof of the nests, he says, "so they aren't just making a roof - it's a roof with thorny material for protection".

Birds often use thorny branches to protect their nests, but humans aren't fans of these kinds of bushes and trees, so birds living in built up areas go for the next best thing, Mr Hiemstra says.

It shows a remarkable adaptability to their environment, he adds, and also a determination to protect their nests, as the glue used to attach the spikes to buildings is strong and the spikes not easy to remove.

There's more at the link, including photographs of the nests.

I know magpies are intelligent critters, but I wouldn't have thought they were smart enough to turn our anti-bird measures against us by protecting their nests with them.  It must have been a lot of hard work for the birds to defeat the glue holding down the spikes, and free them.  Clearly, they figured out in advance that it would be worth the effort.

Peter