Could the Vikings’ legendary birds make a comeback? As Sweden and Norway rush troops to Greenland to block Trump’s bold annexation bid, a viral crow-trainer exclusively opens up to the Daily Star
The Vikings may actually come to the rescue with an army of crows. As Sweden and Norway rush troops to Greenland to fend off US President Trump’s wild plans to annex the island, the man who went viral for training clever crows to swoop down and snatch MAGA hats, shared his take on the majestic birds in battle.
Germany is among the latest European countries to join Sweden, Norway in sending the deployment of troops to Greenland after high-stakes meetings in Washington between the US, Danish, and Greenlandic officials failed to resolve fundamental disagreements over the US’ desire to annex the island.
The Daily Star already revealed how Nordic leaders were gearing up for battle Viking-style against Trump, and shone a light on Dave, the mastermind behind the MAGA-hat-snatching crows. But what happens when you bring these two forces together?
As previously reported, Dave, known online as “biz_dave”, went viral after successfully training crows to swoop down and snatch MAGA hats from unsuspecting wearers, documenting his process on social media. Using months of patience, peanuts, and a bit of political mischief, Dave turned his local crows into red-hat-removing legends, sparking both praise and controversy online.
Now, he shares his thoughts on crows in military operations. “I don’t think it’s practical to associate crows and the military,” Dave exclusively told the Daily Star.
He continued: “These are interesting and clever birds, but they aren’t really aggressive. At most, a bird might be trained to fly over an area and return, and I’m not sure crows are the best choice for that.”
Dave went on to explain: “Training the crows wasn’t necessarily difficult, but it took a lot of time and patience. They are very clever creatures and were able to go through all of the steps that I set for them to reach the goal.”
He admitted: “My favourite thing about training crows is sharing in the excitement whenever they solve a new challenge. I was very methodical in the steps that I set, so it was important that they complete each stage.
“The birds usually take a few days to investigate each new target, and the moment that they finally solved it was always a real thrill.” Nevertheless, there were some difficulties.
He stated: “The most challenging part is the discipline and patience. You have to feed them every day, set the challenges up, and be ready to deal with things like rodents and other birds that would interfere with the experiment.”
Since going viral with his murder of crows, Dave has kept close to the intelligent animal. He shared: “I still feed the birds and have set out challenges that they enjoy interacting with, but I have not been intensely training them after they reached the goal I had set.”
While modern stories often mention “crows”, it was actually ravens that played a crucial role in Viking exploration and mythology. Vikings used ravens as practical tools for navigation, carrying them aboard longships as living compasses.
When released, the raven would instinctively fly toward the nearest land, guiding sailors across open waters. This method was famously used by the explorer Flóki Vilgerðarson, also known as “Raven-Flóki”, who relied on three ravens to help discover Iceland in the 9th century.
Beyond their practical use, ravens held deep symbolic and religious significance, being closely associated with Odin, the chief Norse god, who was said to have two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, that brought him news from across the world. As the modern Viking nations, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, gear up to defend Greenland against a potential American takeover, it begs the question: could their descendants once again unleash ravens in battle, just as their ancestors did centuries ago?
Scandinavian countries rely on advanced technology, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for reconnaissance and communication, rather than animals for navigation or combat roles. The use of animals is now limited to highly specialised, non-combat tasks, such as airfield bird control, and is subject to strict ethical oversight.
It is (one might argue unfortunately) unlikely that Scandinavian countries ever use ravens or crows for military operations any time soon.
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