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I'm trying to figure out if I can build a device which will give a crow or raven a treat if it deposits a piece from a drone in the box. My biologist daughter was explaining that I need some way to have this action take place spontaneously so that future training can reinforce it, so perhaps first training them to put things in the box, then working on getting them to specialize in drone parts.

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If you get the bird clicker trained you're more than half way there, and birds generally take to clicker training very quickly. Those particular birds have an affinity for shiny things, so painting the parts silver or wrapping them with foil might be one way to prompt the behavior for reinforcement.

edit: for the other half, depositing the parts where you'd like, look up "targeting". I'd train the birds to a colored sticker, then place the sticker on your deposit box gizmo.

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