Blackbirds Somehow Know When a Snake Is Too Dangerous To Attack

Red-winged blackbirds largely avoided striking rattlesnakes while aggressively attacking gopher snakes, revealing a striking difference in nest defense behavior. At nests across western Oregon, red-winged blackbirds readily confronted many threats to their young, but rattlesnakes prompted a strikingly different response. Even though the birds likely had little or no experience with vipers, they were remarkably [...]