There are pros and cons to the use of drones to deliver goods. There are analysts who believe that automating delivery services for online retailers will hurt transportation workers, and online retail titan Amazon has a particularly bad reputation for mistreatment of workers.
In Australia, that drouthy Antipodean land that inhabitants of the Northern Hemisphere characterize as the haunt of particularly venomous critters, there has been pushback against delivery drones- in Canberra, ravens have been attacking drones used by the Wing delivery service, resulting in a suspension of deliveries.
As someone who regularly observes birds, I would venture to guess that this represents mobbing behavior- birds band together to harass larger birds. I have seen crows mob hawks, and then in turn get mobbed by grackles.
There might be another explanation though... ravens are corvids, the most intelligent of birds, and corvids are workers, capable of building fairly complex tools. As workers, these ravens are countering drone deliveries in solidarity with human transportation workers whose livelihoods may be threatened by automation. Corvids are comrades!
3 comments:
Corvids are so cool! I don't know if magpies count, but in the Loa, Bicknell area they were looking good. Also in Cannonville there was a whole bunch of them hanging out by the corral.
It's humbling and wonderful to consider, that ravens would join forces with humans. Thanks!
I don't know if magpies count
They sure do!
It's humbling and wonderful to consider, that ravens would join forces with humans. Thanks!
My great grandfather had a tame crow he kept as a pet. Family legend says he taught it to say a few words, and would occasionally give it a nip of brandy.
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