The Massachusetts Department of Transportation received multiple calls of dead birds on the Boston Turnpike.

A preliminary investigation confirmed a very large amount of dead birds on the roadway. According to the investigation, an overwhelming majority of these deaths were the result of an impact with an 18-wherler.

The state reached out to Boston College, Harvard, UMass, and MIT and created a team of experts in the fields of transportation, physics, ornithology, and animal psychology. These experts conducted a six-month-long study of the events around the Turnpike. Their goal was to determine why such a large number of birds were being killed by 18-wheelers.

The results of this study revealed that one specific species of crow (the Bostonian black) has a natural defense mechanism that allows it to audibly warn other birds of oncoming vehicles. Over time, the other birds come to depend on this audible warning. Unfortunately, there appears to be a defect in this defense when it comes to warning about the 18-wheelers.

Apparently the crow can say "caw, caw" to warn the other birds but it can't say "twuck, twuck."

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📅︎ Aug 25 2022
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