BBC - Future - Science & Environment - Animal

Sunday, September 25, 2011

About Bird Intelligence - Part 1

A BBC report shows that some crows that were caught from the wild were able to find food by studying its reflection...

Clever New Caledonian crows can use mirrors to find food, according to scientists.

Researchers from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, tested wild-caught crows' reactions to mirrors.

The crows did not recognise themselves but found cached food items by studying their reflections.

The results put the birds in an elite group of species - which includes primates and elephants - known to be able to process mirror information.

Either these crows can't recognize themselves in a mirror or a test hasn't yet been devised that this crow would respond to - it may be they are just so focused on food that they ignore the irrelevant or that some experience of a different type is needed for them to respond in a different way.

Here is an example of a small brained bird recognizing itself...




First the example of a crow experimenting in front of a mirror:




Next an example of a crow using problem solving skills that has developed of much experimentation:




Another example of crows using tools but in the wild:




A Raven works a puzzle:



A bird doesn't like a turtle, peers over edge to see what its done:




Note the careful observation and the two different methods used to cross the puddle by these two Penguins...



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Added 17th October 2011

'Criminal' penguin caught on film...

Click Here To Watch Video On BBC

A "criminal" stone-stealing Adelie penguin has been captured on camera by a BBC film crew.

The team, filming for the documentary Frozen Planet, spent four months with the penguin colony on Ross Island, Antarctica.

The footage they captured shows a male penguin stealing stones from its neighbour's nest.


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Finally, check out this Parrot's ability to interact...



End of Part 1

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