Pretty Smart For A Bird

I thought this was pretty neat. I know that crows have been observed to display creative intelligence, but check out this heron using a piece of bread to bait fish. I wonder if it figured this trick out by himself.

I'm pretty sure it did. I raised birds for many years, and their ability to figure things out is nothing short of amazing!
I had a Patagonian Conure that learned our dogs mane, and to entertain himself (and us!) he would call the dog, the drop a piece of his pellet food on the floor for him as a reward.
I was amazed at how slide clamps ( like on dog leashes) were no problem for birds to figure out...they would either get them off of their door, or remove the spring in them so they could escape. Made me wonder if they shared their knowledge with each other when I'd leave the room for a bit, and come back to find a bunch of 'escapees'!
The Hyacinth Macaw is rated the world's smartest bird, but I personally think it might be the raven that deserves the honor.

Herons use all sorts of tools to catch prey. They bait their fish with food such as corn, bread, or insects, and they bait their prey with lures by using things that float such as twigs. They are spectacular birds and quite terrifying in a captive situation. Heron Conservation

a reply to: skunkape23

a reply to: skunkape23

This give you a little different perspective on the term of being a "bird brain".

I've seen the clip before. It is amazing how smart birds are. I have a cockatiel that talks. When he wants to be fed he hollars " Come Here" "Come Here" and I always know when someone drives up because he starts hollering (warning the flock) LOL! Of all the animals in the world, birds are my favorite!

Some parrots are as intelligent as a 2 year old. If nature had gone a bit differently, I think birds would have been a nice alternative to apes, except that we have hands and they don't. A race of large birds with hands would have been a tough obstacle for hominids.

a reply to: skunkape23

Man, Skunkape, the higher primates get all the credit! Birds are so underrated and never cease to amaze me. I have an orange wing Amazon parrot and when we first got him he ignored everyone but after a few days became absolutely obsessed with me! Literally. This dude will trip every time I leave the house and just wait on top of his home going "Awww" I s you not. Taught him how to say "Nerds" in like two hours... but now the cheeky avian only whispers it on my ear whilst preening my beard. Birds...

And always remember (said the crow to the chimp), birds are dinosaurs. I wish all the zoos would label their Bird Exhibits as Dinosaur Exhibits. And the same for stores selling Bird Houses, or Bird Seed, etc.

Alex, the parrot who learned language -

a reply to: skunkape23

Shh it got a small brain so it must be dumb, does not feel pain, doesnt have a soul, doesnt think,... *sigh*

a reply to: skunkape23

I often wonder if we're blind to degrees of sentience? Yeah, it's obvious that humans are pretty smart (mostly!) and that apes and monkeys can show self-awareness and planning - can't leave out those dolphins either! In recent years, we've got crows and elephants showing sentience; octopii too.

Maybe we're somewhere near the top of the sentience grey scale with the slugs, bugs and politicians down the bottom?

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: skunkape23

I often wonder if we're blind to degrees of sentience? Yeah, it's obvious that humans are pretty smart (mostly!) and that apes and monkeys can show self-awareness and planning - can't leave out those dolphins either! In recent years, we've got crows and elephants showing sentience; octopii too.

Maybe we're somewhere near the top of the sentience grey scale with the slugs, bugs and politicians down the bottom?

Dolphins are very impressive if you meet them in the wild. Larger bears have surprised me in the same way. I've gotten to play hand-to-snout with young elephants, and they give you the same impression. I think a lot of the more advanced critters are actually sentient, just differently than we are.

a reply to: Bedlam

I think a lot of the more advanced critters are actually sentient, just differently than we are.

Yeah, the time might be coming where it becomes more definitive. Morality in monkeys and empathy in apes? All interesting.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: Bedlam

I think a lot of the more advanced critters are actually sentient, just differently than we are.

Yeah, the time might be coming where it becomes more definitive. Morality in monkeys and empathy in apes? All interesting.

Somehow playing with a 2 year old elephant and having it try to feed YOU and getting tickled about it, you see a lot of similarity in how your kids were at that age. That's pretty abstract behavior for 'just an animal'.

Cool video, amazing to see and reminds me how hunger can really force the creative abilities to the surface, but it is always cool to see how animals get along in creative ways to get fed.
Crows can learn to parrot speech better than any other bird if their tongue is trimmed correctly when they are very young and they must be a well taken care of pet of someones. They are said to be just as smart as dogs, or cats, except the crow might be more like a cat in a few ways..
This is just what I have heard since being in a family of several veterinarians, so I get to listen to the critter chat now and then..
They are messy and dirty plus they are scavengers, so they only make a good pet for the very bold and tolerant pet owner, but They will always love you and follow you like the most loyal pal.

a reply to: Bedlam

You can imagine the shift in human behaviour if we were to acknowledge sentience across certain species? It'd be like Civil Rights marches and racial equality battles. Just legislating for elephants would screw a lot of plans..

I share my life with a couple of parrots. Got the second one, Daisy, as a mate for my first, Willow, both African Greys and .........they hate each other and are always trying to wind each other up......that is when they are not trying to wind me up! Willow, in particular uses language often quite appropriately, like 'bye bye for now' if we go out, ,whoops if she poops or lands badly, and, when she knows I am not pleased with her 'f**king bird' said before I get a chance to!