Which birds would fit right in with the 1MDB crowd?
By now, you may have read that ex-Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak, has been sentenced to 12-years jail for misappropriating millions of dollars from a company linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
For those who need a recap about the scandal, here’s a quick rundown:
The country of Malaysia started a sovereign fund - a state-owned investment fund, taken from the country's surplus tax reserve - using Malaysian citizens’ tax dollars
This money was meant to be reinvested into the country
Instead, corrupt Malaysian leaders have been convicted of misappropriating the funds
The money initially meant for Malaysia’s investment was funneled into private bank accounts and subsequently spent on frivolous items such as USD $30m worth of jewelry
Many trying to uncover the depths of the 1MDB scandal were threatened, and/or found dead
So which birds are the most likely to have joined the unscrupulous 1MDB crew?
Most likely to steal money, and other shiny trinkets (but probably not $4.5billion…)
That distinction would have to go to the Magpie, an intelligent bird under the Corvid family. Corvids are a group of birds including crows, ravens, jays, magpies, and more. Most birds in this family are super smart, and thrive in urban areas near humans (and their trash!)
Perhaps one of the best-known examples of a bird that likes shiny things, the Black-billed Magpie found across the United States has entered into popular folklore as an animal that, given a chance, will attempt to steal a shiny trinket!
But that’s not necessarily true: although Black-billed Magpies have a reputation for liking shiny things, they won’t actually go out of their way to steal. Magpies are skittish and easily startled if confronted by humans.
It does seem that one man’s trash is another bird’s treasure, though! Black-billed Magpies have been known to search through garbage in order to harvest shiny trinkets for their homes. I wonder what the Magpie would say to finding $30 million worth of (stolen) jewelry?
Most likely to be gangsters
Just like gangsters running a protection racket, Fork-tailed Drongos in the Kalahari Desert of Africa act as ‘lookouts’ for other birds and animals, such as meerkats. The Drongos stay high in the trees and, when a predator approaches, will screech for their friends to take cover!
But… these guys have no loyalty! They’ve evolved to trick their ‘friends’ into scampering away, even when no predators are in sight. By faking alarm calls, Fork-tailed Drongos trick their victims into dropping their food in fright, and running to safety. Once done, the Drongos will swoop in and steal the food for themselves.
(Of course, like any good gangster, as well as lying and stealing, the Drongos must provide protection by mobbing aerial predators and giving true alarm calls on some occasions.)
Their antics seem to work, though: up to a quarter of a Fork-tailed Drongo’s daily calories come from stolen food.
Most likely to be a violent thug (but probably won’t kill a public prosecutor by burying them in a concrete-filled oil drum…)
You’ve heard of a flock of birds, but what about a mob of birds?
Many species of birds are known to attack intruders. This act of ‘mobbing’ intruders include flying about the intruder, dive bombing, loud squawking and even defecating on the predator! Besides the ability to drive the predator away, mobbing also draws attention to the predator, making stealth attacks on other unsuspecting birds impossible. Mobbing also helps distract and annoy a predator bird, who is then unable to focus on locating easy prey, such as baby chicks or eggs.
But mobbing isn’t always used in self-defense: it can also be used to obtain food, by driving larger birds and mammals away from a food source, or by harassing a smaller bird with food.
Honestly, many birds fit this bill: in the United States, birds that most frequently engage in mobbing include mockingbirds, crows and jays.
In the Galapagos Islands, Magnificent Frigatebirds will chase smaller birds, grab them with their beaks, and shake them until their stressed and terrified victims either drop their catch, or vomit up their last meal - which the frigatebirds then eat.
