France employs rubbish collecting birds

A theme park in France is set to unveil six “intelligent” birds to pick up rubbish. The birds are known as rooks, which are a type of blackbird. They have been taught to collect cigarette ends and other small bits of rubbish at the Puy du Fou theme park.

They then deposit the litter into a small box which will deliver some bird food as a reward for their hard work. The first feathery cleaners have already been put to work, with the rest set to join them on Monday.

Nicolas de Villiers, the head of the park, said that it was not just about keeping the area clean. It was also about showing “that nature itself can teach us to take care of the environment”.