The birds fight BACK! Crows and magpies are using ANTI-bird spikes to build nests in ‘ultimate revenge’ against humans, scientist finds
But it seems that crows and magpies aren’t so scared at all, having stolen countless sharp metal pieces to build their own fortified nests.
Experts at the Netherlands’ Naturalis Biodiversity Centre and the Natural History Museum of Rotterdam made the surprising discovery that birds make use of roof spikes to scare off predators.
One magpie had stolen 1,500 pins to protects their nests from lurking predators in a hospital courtyard in Antwerp, Belgium (pictured)
‘It’s like a joke, really,’ Mr Hiemstra continued. ‘Even for me as a nest researcher, these are the craziest bird nests I’ve ever seen.’
Auke-Florian Hiemstra (pictured) said: ‘The magpies appear to be using the pins exactly the same way we do: to keep other birds away from their nest’
The Antwerp nest close up: A sneaky magpie had stolen as much as 150ft worth of anti-bird pins from nearby roofs to protect its eggs and babies from being snatched
Even condoms and fireworks are frequently encountered by Mr Hiemstra in the nests of magpies, alongside cocaine wraps, sunglasses and windshield wipers
Kees Moeliker, director of the museum, added: ‘Just when you think you’ve seen it all after half a century of studying natural history, these inventive crows and magpies really surprise me again.’