REAL LIFE NEWS: SWALLOWS LEARN TO OPEN GARAGE DOOR
by Hazed
Nature adapts. Animals that originate in the wild end up changing their behaviour when humans encroach on their territory, and learn new strategies to cope with their changing environment.
Here’s a classic example. Swallows in Norway have learned how to open a garage door so they can nest inside.
Residents of the apartment building in Tonsberg said that the birds used to follow the cars through the garage doors which allowed them to build their nests away from predators. Now they have figured out that if they follow a specific flight path past the motion detectors, they can open the doors themselves.
Ulf Botolfs Andersen, the chairman of the condo association, said he has seen the birds follow the same path every time, operating the door on their own more than 100 times. He said that officials are considering adjusting the sensitivity of the sensors to prevent the birds from opening the door on their own. Perhaps instead they could teach the swallows to close the door behind them…
For another great example of birds taking advantage of humans to thrive, see the video at the second link below. It shows crows in Japan who use passing cars to crack nuts. The birds lurk near traffic lights and when the cars stop, they put nuts on the road where the wheels will run over them. Then when the lights go red again they hop into the road to retrieve the cracked nuts. Very resourceful!
Source: http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2017/06/28/Swallows-learn-to-operate-garage-door-at-Norwegian-building/8131498664880/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NenEdSuL7QU
