Along with the flapping, the robotic bird included a small sound generating system to play authentic calls and swamp noises.

ENGADGET: Alt-week 3.2.13: A mission to Mars, robosparrow and facial recognition in fertility treatment

While the project might sound a little bit gruesome, the research helped gather data to support the hypothesis that wing flapping is often used to deter rivals.

ENGADGET: Alt-week 3.2.13: A mission to Mars, robosparrow and facial recognition in fertility treatment