JUNK FOOD FIGHT FOR THE BIRDS.

1 SNACK SIZE TEST

It’s the early bird that gets the Cheetos. But it’s the bigger bird that steals it away, according to behavioural ecologist Rhea Esposito who used the snack food to see how two types of smart birds— smaller magpies and bigger crows — interact and compete for food.

2 WHY CHEETOS?

Birds, like many of us when we’re forced to admit it, apparently like Cheetos. Both birds are also naturally suspicious of new things. And the bright orange colour also solved a problem for Esposito. The traditional bait food, nuts and seeds, were hard to see for Esposito, who would watch from her car about six metres away.

3 MAGPIES 1, CROWS 0

Esposito even made it tough for them later by making them pull on a string to get the tasty snack out of a hollow log, illustrating their use of a tool. Magpies were the bolder puzzle solvers, earning their Cheetos about a minute faster than crows, on average.

4 THE REAL WINNER

The magpies turned out to be quicker and more daring. The magpies first explored and tasted the strange junk food, while crows repeatedly approached and retreated. But when the crows learned that Cheetos were tasty, they stole them from the magpies. Crows were three times more likely to steal Cheetos than magpies. So while it is fair to say that the early bird gets the Cheetos, Esposito concluded, “they don’t get to keep it.”

5 GREATER SAFETY

But, Esposito determined, magpies benefitted by gaining protection by nesting near crows, even if the cost can be measured in lost food opportunities.