'Robosparrow' created from dead bird
A dead bird animated by off-the-shelf robotics helped US biologists study behaviour in the swamp sparrow species.
Scientists at Duke University in North Carolina worked with engineering students and a taxidermist to operate the wings of a deceased swamp sparrow.
They programmed simple Picaxe computer chips, and built a tiny linear motor to fit inside the cavity of the bird they named Robosparrow.
They were studying male aggressive behaviour among the species.
The experiment, carried out over a period of two months, confirmed to the researchers that wing-flapping is a sign of male aggression, said Dr Rindy Anderson who led the study.
...
The living male birds were equally aggressive to Robosparrow whether its wing movements were activated or not, the researchers found.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21579211
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That damned Robosparrow was a zombie! I would be aggressive too if my buddy was reanimated with off-the-shelf robotics and a Picaxe brain. 
