Animals That Play Tricks In Order to SurviveIn preparation for a long, cold winter, the eastern gray
Animals That Play Tricks In Order to SurviveIn preparation for a long, cold winter, the eastern gray squirrel will gather up nuts and bury them in the ground where they can be dug up and consumed later when food is scarce. Scientists refer to this nut store as a cache, and a gray squirrel cache can be spread out over several acres. Unfortunately, these nuts are sometimes stolen by other squirrels and birds who witness a nut being buried. To combat the thievery, the eastern gray squirrel will often create a fake cache. It does so by digging a hole and filling it in without ever depositing a nut. It may do this several times before or after actually burying a nut. This trick is used to confuse the would-be thieves and protect their winter food supply. The brown-headed cowbird is native to North America, and it is a master at deception. Female cowbirds lay their eggs in the nests of other species and are often successful at tricking these other birds into raising their young. Scientists call a bird who engages in this type of behavior a “brood parasite.” While a few birds can recognize the foreign egg of a cowbird in their nest and discard it, many cannot. Cowbirds are known to parasitize the nests of more than 220 species of birds. -- source link