[clumsysmurf]

This seems neat, but cigarette butts contain toxic chemicals. Training birds to perform an action, but at the same time possibly poison themselves, is ethically perverse. What if their population collapses because of the exposure to something in the butts? (and perhaps this effects other parts of the ecosystem dependent on the services of crows ... like, but not limited to, mitigating hygiene hazards via carcass removal).

Maybe we could train the people to pick up their own butts.

[undersuit]

Birds have already been observed to use cigarette butts for nest building, and no resultant population crash has happened for them.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2138655-birds-use-cigar...

Maybe the food being given to the crows is more beneficial than any of the downsides of the exposure to the butts.

[jackgolding]

If you read through to a linked article you'll find there is indeed long term health effects to the birds https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22730341-600-birds-lo...

[undersuit]

I never said there weren't. I specifically worded my comment to suggest that the benefits might outweigh the harm.

[anotherevan]

For instance, if the crows are picking up enough, then there will be less birds using them for nesting material, which is a more prolonged exposure.

[rhombocombus]

It seems to offer some sort of advantage in pest resistance, and I would assume over the (sometimes) shorter lifespan of the birds that do this that advantage outweighs the toxicity of the butts.

[nerfhammer]

They aren't eating them, they're picking them up and dropping them into a bucket.

[caconym_]

Users of chewing tobacco and similar products aren't eating them, but that doesn't seem to do them any good.