Coat the ravens evermore? To protect tortoises, officials test spraying oil into birds' nests.

The population of the common raven is exploding across the American West, where it thrives on human refuse and roadkill.

As the large, strutting predators piggyback on the spread of human civilization, they are expanding into territories where they have never been seen in such large numbers. This expansion has come at the expense of several threatened species, including the desert tortoise, whose soft-shelled hatchlings and juveniles have been devoured by the birds.

https://phys.org/news/2019-06-coat-ravens-tortoises-oil-birds.amp

Posted on June 17, 2019 06:23 PM by biohexx1