Oh, you're right and im a bundle of sticks. I made an edit because it got more attention than I thought it would. It was an old joke, I didn't realize so many people hadn't heard it. Any way here is a paste of my updated post:

TIL City birds have learned to line their nests with cigarette butts in order to ward of parasites, as burnt nicotine works as an insecticide to ward off mites, lice and fleas. by JayPetey in todayilearned

[–]the_strat 102 points 2 months ago*

Or the Crows in Boston:

Researchers for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority found over 200 dead crows near greater Boston recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu. A Bird Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone's relief, confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be vehicular impacts.

However, during the detailed analysis it was noted that varying colors of paints appeared on the bird's beaks and claws. By analyzing these paint residues it was determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, while only 2% were killed by an impact with a car.

MTA then hired an Ornithological Behaviorist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car kills.

The Ornithological Behaviorist very quickly concluded the cause: when crows eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger.

The scientific conclusion was that while all the lookout crows could say "Cah", none could say "Truck."

Edit: MFW I get gold for a stolen joke permalink save context full comments (557) edit disable inbox replies delete