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No More Thieving Magpies…

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At the end it seems not to be true. Magpies don't steal shiny objects. And that's a fact.

The European folklore refers to magpies as cunning thieves, hoarding all sorts of sparkly things for their nests. But a study that looked specifically into their behaviour discovered that they are actually quite nervous about strange or new looking objects.

The study involved a pile of shiny items like metal screws, small foil rings, and a small rectangular piece of aluminum foil, and a pile of the same objects covered with matt blue paint.

Researchers placed mounds of edible nuts just 30cm away from each of the collected objects. In 64 tests during feeding, magpies picked up a shiny object only twice - and discarded it immediately.

The birds essentially ignored or avoided both shiny and blue objects, and often fed less when they were present.

Lead author Dr Toni Shephard said: “We did not find evidence of an unconditional attraction to shiny objects in magpies. Instead, all objects prompted responses indicating neophobia – fear of new things. It seems likely that the folklore surrounding them is a result of cultural generalisation and anecdotes rather than evidence.”

Apparently the libretto of Rossini's opera La Gazza Ladra (The thieving magpie), which features a servant girl sentenced to death for a series of silver thefts actually committed by a magpie, has no reason to be.

Photo: Ladypopular

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Date: 20 August 2014
Credits Publisher: Spiritual News

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