A kinder, gentler style of thieving. Henry Fountain of the NY Times wrote March 18 about a recent study of food-stealing among crows. The 55-bird study, limited though it may be, might offer humans some lessons in diplomacy. Fountain wrote:

The team found that the birds changed their behavior depending on whom they were stealing from. When a bird coveted a nonrelative's food, the thief took an aggressive approach, often flying at the other bird, chasing it, cackling at it and bumping into it.

When a bird sought to steal from kin, however, a much more passive approach was taken. The thief would sidle up to its relative quietly in an effort to get at the food. This stealth approach seemed to work. Often the other bird, confronted in this way, voluntarily gave up its food.