Birds Not So Stupid After All

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 2-22-2007 | Roger Highfield

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Ravens are very smart. In the far north, they've learned to sit on the photocell that turns on street lights -- once one of them has turned on the lights on a block, the whole flock keeps warm on top of the fixtures.

A favourite raven trick is working in a team to steal all the food from a dog tethered up outside. One raven does a little dance just out of reach of the dog -- while the dog is barking and lunging at that raven, his buddies are eating the food. After a couple of minutes the ravens rotate, so that they all get to eat. When they're done, they usually fly to a nearby tree and laugh at the dog for a few minutes.

[Ditter]

I had a pet crow when I was a child. Roscoe learned to speak several words. He could say "help me help me" and Hello mama". He was a great pet but he started attacking children walking to school and my father gave him away.

[Dysart]

For several years I've been feeding a Mockingbird peanut butter every morning by spreading on a tree limb in my backyard. He takes a mate every spring and brings her and their offspring to the tree with him. After the fledglings reach about 4 weeks, he runs them all off from his territory. He won't even let me finish spreading on the tree limb before he begins to feed inches away from me.

This morning I was running late, and skipped this ritual. I headed out the front door to get in my car when he flies over and lands in a tree next to my driveway, staring me down. I just laughed and started to get in my car. He then flies over and lands on the roof of my car! Well I got the point. I turned and headed to the gate to the backyard and when I arrived at the usual feeding spot, he was already waiting. So this bird associates me with food, and one of the most basic learning methods is realized through association. It requires some thought.

Yes, birds are much smarter than we have traditionally given them credit for being, but if you take the time to closely observe, you know better.

[PUGACHEV]

High on the weirdness quotient is this website with a collection of WAV files of a talking parakeet. The bird isn't merely repeating what its heard, but voicing original thoughts. Frankly, I can hardly believe it, and I'm not sure what to think.

http://www.budgieresearch.homestead.com/

[T Minus Four]

[Kirkwood]

Hummingbirds are amazing. The ruby-throated hummingbird's flight across the gulf of mexico takes about 24 hours and they beat their wings around 5 million times nonstop. So much energy in such a tiny creature! And to find their way over water in darkness and in different weather conditions is incredible.

[HHFi]

Hardly news to me. I have 15 rescued parrots of various sizes and species, and there isn't a single one who isn't a far more intelligent conversationalist than anyone who ever hosted a show on "Air America." Of course, that includes a parakeet who only says "Hello." But at least she knows better than to try to talk when she doesn't know what she's saying, which puts her light years beyond Al Franken.

[HighWheeler]

The crows needed the most attention. They would get mean if they didn't spend time figuring out complex things. We would hide the food, disguise it, or put it inside and behind things that they had to figure out how to solve. It was harder for us to come up with new things, which they would figure out immediately.

[Dysart]

I've watched Crows pick up Hickory nuts and Pecans and drop them on roads to crack them open. Pretty cool.

I've seen Ravens do this too--in my driveway. I have a massive Live Oak tree in my front yard which is perpetually dropping acorns. I've seen one watch me back over them when I pull out and swoop in to gobble up the easy pickins.

[himno hero]

I think they have to look a little farther.

Look to the hoarders... mice, squirrels etc etc all build caches, beaver as well to carry themselves into the winter. Wolves, bears......

[ErnBatavia]

Anthropomorphism bump....

[HighWheeler]

The budgies sound like Yoda!! I wonder if George Lucas did that on purpose?

[Judith Anne]

Our hummingbirds come to the kitchen window and fly in front of it, side to side as if on a swing, to get attention when one of the feeders is empty (we have four).

I can hardly wait for them to return this spring. We really love the hummers. One dominant type male bird went over to our mastiff, hovered right in front of his face, and they looked at each other, inches apart.

We can have crowds of 30 plus birds in the evening at twilight...they are so beautiful...some come over to us, and look at us the same way they looked at the dog. We think they like looking at us.

[Ditter]

The crow was fun, he would sit on our heads or shoulders when we walked around. In the evening when we sat in the yard and drank ice tea he would sneak off with the teaspoons. Years later our neighbor found a spot up on his roof where Roscoe had hidden all the shiny things he had stolen. So Mom got her teaspoons back.

[HighWheeler]

Some crows are smarter than most dogs. They don't seem to get their attention diverted over stupid things either. Talk about FOCUS. They also seemed more interested in playing games than in food. Food of course, was still the best game item.

[Psycho_Bunny]

lol......An idiotic article, at best.

As if no other biologist in the history of Cambridge had come to this conclusion before.

[Dysart]

I began feeding Hummers this past summer for the first time. I only had two or three, but maybe when they come back this spring they will bring some friends. I've noticed that they are extremely territorial; they certainly are a marvel, though. Very time consuming endeavor, feeding the Hummers, because the nectar has to be changed twice daily due to the high summer temps here.

[Revolting cat!]

Yes they are (stupid, after all.) Here's what Peter O'Toole says of Hollywood birds (on another concurrrent thread):

"You look into their eyes and there's no one at home. Oh God help us! It's like looking at an unlit lamppost."

[blam]

"Hummingbirds will travel from someplace in Brazil to someplace in Alabama every year and then back again for winter. They go to the exact same places too. "

Yup. They fly right here to Mobile and I put out feeders for them every year, they fly for 20-26 hours across the gulf. There is a major bird 'flyway' through here and a big bird watching area.

Dauphin Island is the first land that some of the birds see after flying across the gulf and the Dauphin Islanders have a term 'fall-out' that occurs when some of the bird flocks arrive. Some of the birds are so tired that when they see land below them they actually stop flying and just fall out of the sky.

[panaxanax]

"HUH? What about squirrels that store nuts for winter?"

Or dogs burying bones, mice storing dog food and sunflower seeds, the squirrels as you pointed out, bears and cougars burying deer carcasses? Woodpeckers are known for pecking out acorn-sized holes in tree bark for storage for the future.

What a dopey research project this was. Glad it was in the U.K.