Birds Aren't Real Campaigners Vindicated with Bird Drone Research
Researchers at New Mexico Tech are developing a series of bird drones to better understand wildlife by emulating the movement of birds. The researchers have used the bodies and wings of real birds to create drones. Supporters of the “Birds Aren't Real” campaign to stop bird-based surveillance by the US government have pointed to the research as evidence that the government can and has killed billions of real birds and replaced them with bird-like surveillance drones to spy on Americans. The bird drones created by the researchers have been primarily focused on the energy-efficient flight and the natural look of the drones in order to surreptitiously study wildlife and protect it from more dangerous drones with loud spinning propellers. Peter McIndoe, spokesperson for Birds Aren't Real, touted the research as vindication to his group's efforts to bring attention to the real threat of continuous surveillance through bird robots controlled by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The New Mexico Tech research group may have stumbled upon and unintentionally recreated work started at the CIA in early 1960s during the initial phases of the program when the first robotic birds were assembled and deployed. Sources within the intelligence community have indicated that the CIA robot birds have been programmed to closely monitor the New Mexico Tech researchers and to destroy any of their drones on sight.