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WINGED creatures wreaking havoc on cars and properties across Bendigo are no bird-brains, according to an expert in animal behaviour.
They might even lay claim to being among the smartest of any species of bird, says Dr Sonia Kleindorfer, a professor in animal behaviour at South Australia’s Flinders University.
Dr Kleindorfer was responding to reports in yesterday’s Bendigo Advertiser of crows feasting on car windscreen wipers in an Eaglehawk Street.
She says its likely some might have gone the early crow in identifying the culprits.
It seems the not-so-friendly feathered friends in question are most likely Australian ravens and not their lookalike the crow.
But what’s not in question is the birds’ intelligence level.
“Crows and ravens are among the smartest of any birds species and as smart as any primate there is,” Dr Kleindorfer said.
“Australia, in fact, can lay claim to the smartest bird group on planet earth – their cognitive capacity is immense.
“That said their behaviour can be a real problem and nuisance.”
Elm Street residents in Eaglehawk need no reminder of the species’ capacity for damage.
There have been about a dozen reports of crows or ravens stripping the rubber from windscreen wipers on cars parked in the street.
Dr Kleindorfer said the bizarre behaviour was not limited to Australian birds.
In New Zealand, a parrot-like bird called the kea has a reputation for eating the rubber strips around windscreens.
“It seems to be something they like doing, but the question really is why,” Dr Kleindorfer said.
“Some people think it might be a nutrient found in the rubber, or it could be used for nesting.
“I’m not sure if it’s rubber in general, or whether it’s a type of chemical used in different types of cars.”
Reports of ravens scavenging through bins, tapping long, sharp beaks on windows and rooves and other species of bird chewing rubber, including galahs, emerged on the Bendigo Advertiser Facebook site yesterday.
Lynne Roberts Moncrieff said he White Hills garden had been “overrun” by crows.
“They are cheeky as well and spend hours tapping with their long sharp beaks on the windows,” she said.
As breeding season approaches, Dr Kleindorfer said birds targeting windows was a territorial defence.
“From the birds point of view they are attacking what they see in the window, which they think is another bird," she said.