The Swiss agricultural research centre Agroscope wants to outwit corvids with the help of artificial intelligence. It is currently testing a system to more effectively prevent damage to agricultural crops caused by crows and rooks. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Agroscope said on Thursday that birds of the crow family, or corvids, can cause major damage, particularly in freshly sown maize and sunflower fields. The problem is that the animals quickly become accustomed to acoustic scare effects such as horns, scarecrows or balloons, which are currently being used. Even shooting to regulate the populations has not proved effective, it said. Agroscope thus wants to find a way to be faster "than the animals' ability to adapt to measures," Thomas Anken from the centre's Smart Technologies in Agriculture Research Station said in a press release. "The crops are only at risk for a few weeks, but the corvids learn very quickly." According to Agroscope, one ...
