Yes it's probably true and some tricks seem pretty far fetched, for exemple: "Seagulls can be caught by wrapping food around a stone and throwing it in the air. The gull swallows the bait while still on the wing, gulping down the stone with it, and the change in weight causes the bird to crash." I have already thrown a rock on a gull when I was a kid but this trick is funny. I guess it most work sometimes since it's also highlighted in the book.