Training Magpies to Collect Trash with a DIY Feeder

One of the things that surprises us most about magpies is their intelligence. They can learn very complex tricks and even recognize humans they consider trustworthy. This is where Hans Forsberg comes into the equation—an expert in electronics, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence. Hans built an automatic feeder in his garden and trained a group of local magpies to keep it clean in exchange for food. A relationship that works almost perfectly.

Many people detest magpies due to their explosive temperament, attacking anything that moves in their “territory.” But others celebrate their cunning and intelligence. By following the right steps, magpies can be trained to perform increasingly advanced tasks, as long as there is some benefit at the end of the road. Food is an excellent reward, since in general terms, they eat anything.

The Automatic Feeder

The robotics and AI expert Hans Forsberg spent the last few months designing a special automatic feeder: Basically, the magpies must pick up trash from the garden and bring it to the container, receiving a delicious bite in return. These are small metal caps (think bottle caps, crown caps, etc.), but nothing stops Hans from expanding the training to other objects, like the pull tabs on drink cans. After sharing a video with his preliminary version in early August, today we can see a much more polished edition in action.

Inside the Feeder

The story inside the dispenser is a bit different, and Hans recommends anyone who decides to replicate this project to take extra time organizing cables and connections. The “brain” is nothing less than a Raspberry Pi with a HAT connected on top. Two sensors (one to record the insertion of the metal cap and another that detects the passage of food) determine the duration of the vibration so the food falls to the end of the tube. Pet food is very convenient because of the bite size (and as we mentioned above, magpies eat anything).

Training and Future Plans

Hans has shared some streams of the magpies, but in the last two weeks, a new group displaced the previous one, and one of the members already learned the trick on his own. The electronic part of the project is undoubtedly very interesting, however, the most repeated question is “how he trained the magpies”. Hans confirmed that he will publish a video about it very soon.

Hans Forsberg's YouTube channel: Click here