Meet The Man Training An 'Army Of Crows' To Snatch MAGA Hats — And He Says Anyone Can Do It

A man in the United States claims he has trained wild crows to remove red 'Make America Great Again' hats in under two minutes, sharing step-by-step instructions and sparking a heated online response about animal intelligence and political symbolism.

He has shared the entire process on his social media account, laying out methodical progressive training that purportedly took several months, according to material he posted directly on Threads.

The content has drawn millions of views and thousands of responses, with supporters praising the ingenuity and critics warning about animal welfare and ethical ramifications.

Training Process Detailed In Hundreds Of Posts

In a series of posts on Threads, identified by his handle @biz_dave, the man writes that he began with basic feeding to establish trust and consistency with the local crows before introducing increasingly complex challenges.

The first stages involved setting up a consistent feeding area with peanuts, chicken scraps, and dog kibble. Once the crows reliably visited the site daily, he introduced a covered container that they had to manipulate to access food. This early problem-solving phase was documented by him as integral to teaching the birds to interact with artificial objects.

He then replaced transparent barriers with a red opaque container equipped with a key ring that the birds learned to lift to obtain a reward. This sequence was significant, he said, because it mirrored the weight of a typical hat.

According to his own description, once the birds mastered lifting and flipping objects to receive food, he affixed key rings to a red hat to simulate the same action, and within weeks, the crows began removing the hat in under two minutes.

He has since posted short videos of the action and frequently answered questions, explaining that the birds did not target people or faces but were motivated by association with food rewards.

Expertise And Animal Behaviour Context

Crows (or Corvus species) are widely acknowledged by scientists as among the most intelligent birds. Research shows they can solve complex puzzles and use tools in the wild, and their problem-solving capabilities have been documented by behavioral scientists.

In controlled research settings, crows have been shown to recall human faces and warning cues, and can teach other crows to avoid perceived threats. Such cognitive skills make them uniquely capable of responding to patterned stimuli such as object retrieval tasks.

However, training animals to perform tasks that expose them to human political symbolism is uncharted in scientific literature. There are no peer-reviewed studies that describe training corvids to remove specific culturally loaded objects, and the internet documentation by the trainer does not constitute scientific validation.

Public Reaction And Ethical Debate

Online reactions have been mixed. On Threads and other platforms, many users expressed amazement at the apparent capabilities of the birds, with some calling the project 'brilliant' and praising the trainer's dedication.

Critics have focused on animal welfare concerns. Some commentators have argued that using food rewards to condition wild animals to interact with politically charged objects could endanger the birds, potentially exposing them to hostile reactions or injury in human environments.

Many responses on Reddit echoed worry about the health and safety of wild crows, cautioning that crows naturally defend territory and can become aggressive if disturbed, particularly in nesting periods.

Other users questioned the broader purpose and social impact of such training, arguing that involving wildlife in human political expression could undermine conservation efforts instead of highlighting animal intelligence.

Legal And Wildlife Considerations

In the United States, wildlife laws generally prohibit the harassment or harm of protected species, including many crow species, under regulations enforced by agencies such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Deliberately training birds to interact with human objects in public spaces could conflict with local wildlife ordinances and raise questions about responsible stewardship. However, as of this writing, no legal actions or official wildlife agency statements have been publicly reported challenging the trainer's activities.

Experts in animal behaviour caution that conditioning wild animals using human rewards can alter their natural foraging patterns and potentially make them dependent on artificial feeding sites, which carries ecological implications.

Wider Implications of the Crow Training Phenomenon

This episode adds to a growing catalogue of internet-documented animal training projects that blur the lines between amateur experimentation and formal scientific inquiry. Videos teaching crows to exchange coins for food or perform other tasks are common across social media, reflecting both public fascination and the intelligence of corvids, but also the risk of anthropomorphising wildlife for entertainment.

The broader conversation touches on how digital culture amplifies individual initiatives into global spectacles, especially when they intersect with politically charged symbols like red hats known for their association with former US President Donald Trump and his supporters.

As the posts continue to circulate and evolve, wildlife advocates are likely to keep a watchful eye on developments, balancing appreciation for animal cognition with concern for ethical boundaries. No official scientific evaluation has been published on this specific crow training project at the time of writing.

The phenomenon serves as a stark reminder of how quickly social media platforms can turn niche experiments into headline-grabbing public controversies, raising questions about the responsibility of online documentarians and the role of intelligent wildlife in human cultural debates.

The impact of this project will ultimately depend on how individuals and institutions interpret and respond to the blending of animal behaviour, political imagery, and social media engagement.