Unfamiliar with rattlesnakes, blackbirds still avoid striking them while defending nests
In a rare study of snakes as nest predators, scientists found nesting birds were loath to strike rattlesnakes even though they likely had no previous experience with vipers.
Scientists have discovered that red-winged blackbirds, despite likely having no prior experience with rattlesnakes, avoid striking them while defending their nests. The research, published in Behavioral Ecology, involved examining the reactions of blackbirds to various nest predators, including rattlesnakes, gopher snakes, scrub jays, ground squirrels, cowbirds, song sparrows, and song sparrows.
Despite rattlesnakes being native to the region, blackbirds in western Oregon are not commonly exposed to them due to their historical extirpation west of the Cascade Range. The findings revealed that blackbirds struck rattlesnake models only once, compared to multiple strikes on gopher snake models, suggesting that the birds' aversion to the snakes was due to a cautious approach rather than a complete lack of recognition of the threat.
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