Scientists feed crows cheeseburgers, studying cholesterol levels

Previous studies conclude that wildlife in urban areas had higher cholesterol levels

Scientists fed cheeseburgers to urban and rural crows to study the difference of cholesterol levels, reported National Geographic.

An ornithologist at Hamilton College in New York – and her team – wanted to learn how urban living can affect their lives.

Previous studies concluded that wildlife in urban areas had higher cholesterol levels.

In the first stage of the research, the team fed 140 crow nestlings in California, along a gradient that went from urban to rural over a span of three years.

The results showed that the more urban the bird, the higher its cholesterol.

In the next stage, they added cheeseburgers – from McDonald’s – into the diet of crows from rural areas of New York.

Scientists find 'good' cholesterol can sometimes be bad

The crows from the rural areas had up to three burgers a day.

When comparing the cholesterol level of the burger-eating crows with crows that did not have burgers in their diets, the level of cholesterol did not have a major effect on the birds’ survival.

However – regardless of the cholesterol levels – the urban birds had a lower survival rate as compared to the rural birds.

Many reasons include car collisions, diseases, predators and poor food quality.

The ornithologist noted that cholesterol is a good thing – for body functioning – if it’s in small doses.

Crows, “which can live more than 15 years in the wild, might develop diseases later in life,” but this needs further research, she said.