this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2024
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Birds are way smarter than we give them credit for. Im possitive that the smarter ones have a rudimentary language, specifically corvids. Owls are so cool, where I live I can go spot great horned owls just hiking around.
Isn't bird singing a rudimentary language ? They have different songs with different meanings
I mean as in they can describe appearances and events to each other, but probably not formulate any plans more complex than eat here, avoid that place, attack guys dressed up in Jason Voorhees costumes because three generations ago a guy dressed like that messed around with our nests... stuff like that
One time I tried to talk to a crow by telling it to caw once for yes, twice for no.
Grabbed its attention with a friendly greeting, to which it turned and looked at me, waiting for what I'd say, keeping eye-contact and everything.
I asked it if it actually was a crow, since I wasn't sure. It cawed once, and patiently waited for me to speak again, looking at me all curious. I said Thank you, and it looked like it nodded.
Obviously I have no idea if that bird actually understands that crow is what humans call it, but it did feel like I had an actual conversation with it.
I can tell you Ravens can learn their name and react to it.
We used to have a HUGE raven that would hang around a pet food co I worked at. So I started sneaking him bird seed because idgaf what the boss thinks, Im making a friend here.
One time the raven made this sound. Almost like the japanese water clock at the end of Kill Bill 1. I reacted like whoa, what a cool sound! And did a little jig. That raven named me 'waterclock' and used that sound to greet me whenever he encountered me. I miss Black-Beauty (my name for him)
That's so cool! Merlin would just peck at shoes of tourists to ask for food lol
I used to carry a bag of nuts in my pocket at work (where he used to visit me) just to get him away from scared people all the time.
That sounds so funny to me lol
They can do so much more! They're super intelligent, if you think a dog is clever (and I'd agree you're right) then look up the stuff ravens can do!
I know; friend of mine nursed an injured raven chick back to health a few years ago and he stayed around for the entire summer :)
Oh wow, that's awsome!
That last one was very specific
The last one was an experiment to see what corvids teach to their young and what knowledge is just inborn to them.
Very cool!
Yes, that is what I was referencing. Im on mobile so links I cant figure out. Does anyone feel like heroing up and linking the study?
Edit: removed gender pronoun
It was one guy with a caveman mask and one with a Dick Cheney mask. Dick was ironically the neutral or good (control) person who did nothing and the caveman was the bad (treatment) person who once trapped some crows and then released them.
Wildly speculating but could it be that knowledge about skills of corvidae goes back a bit and Hitchcocks "The Birds" wasn't just fiction?
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/uw-professor-learns-crows-dont-forget-a-face/
Thank you!
It definitely depends on the species. Parrots and corvids are the most intelligent groups as far as we know.