Dr Michelle Dickinson: Scientists outsmarted by magpies

Usually, when scientists carry out experiments, they have a good idea of what the outcome will be. However, they don't usually expect to be outsmarted by magpies! 
The researchers attached tiny, backpack-like tracking devices to five Australian magpies for a study. The backpacks contained a GPS tracker system that interacted with a Magpie feeding table. When the birds landed on the table, the backpack could be wirelessly charged, data could be wirelessly downloaded from it and if needed a magnet could be turned on which released the backpack from the bird. All of these features meant that the tracker could be kept small and that the birds didn't have to keep being caught to change batteries or collect data. 
The backpack was designed to be tough, could not be removed by a magpie itself, and only had one weak point where the harness could be removed using the magnet or some really sharp scissors.  
After fitting 5 magpies with the backpacks, the researchers waited for them to return to the feeding stations hoping to download data on how far and where they fly to in between meals. 
Instead, within ten minutes they witnessed an adult female without a tracker working with her bill to attack the weak point of the backpack and remove the harness off of a younger bird. Within hours most of the other trackers had been removed. 
Instead of finding out how far they flew, the researchers instead found new evidence of an entirely new social behaviour rarely seen in birds. 
The helper magpie helped to free a backpack wearing magpie through both cooperation and a moderate level of problem-solving for no personal benefit to the rescuing magpie at all. 
The new discovery was published this week in the journal Australian Field Ornithology https://www.birdlife.org.au/afo/index.php/afo/article/view/2247/2269  
There you go, selfless acts of kindness in bird form for the week.

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