We need reassurance that the bird wasn't trained (or allowed practice). However, either way.... cool. And thanks for giving me an excuse to use my DSL connection. Using it on your text-heavy blog is a waste of money :-P
We need reassurance?? A trainable crow, a tool-using crow, it's a f****** crow!
What? We already knew they were smart enough to pick up lit cigarettes for use in fumigation... The only question here is whether a crow figured out the hanger trick in just 15 seconds. That would be impressive...
Now I can't post about smart crows? They have to be very smart crows? Show me the link to this fumigation thing.
Very funny Ogged. "They have to be Very Smart Crows?"
Whether the behaviour is spontaneous or learned, any animal fashioning a tool is pretty freaking impressive. Majik, don't chimpanzees learn from other chimpanzees how to make tools? Is it any less amazing that they're using tools at all? And those are CHIMPS for goodness sakes.
We're talking crows now. I'm superimpressed. Even though they still make one hell of a racket in the morning when I'm trying to sleep.
Regarding Gromit, and his zany tricks... I think parrots and other highly trainable birds are often just responding to the environment. He mimics the microwave beeps a few times, gets a bunch of laughs (great positive reinforcement), and tries it again. Again, it gets more laughs. So, he starts laughing, too. It becomes a part of the act. He's not laughing AT you, he's laughing WITH you.
As far as I know, birds don't have a sense of humour. There's a bit of anthropomorphizing going on there. But, it's fun. And birds are great company. Even if they can't tell jokes.
I'm glad you brought up the racket, girl27, because this story confirms what I've always suspected about birds: they're waking me up on purpose.
Yeah, I think birds of prey are awesome and all that (driving home this week, a hawk flew about 20 feet from my car, carrying a hapless rodent in its talons) but I think of birds as the most merciless, least likable creatures.
Why you find them great company, we can only guess.
Ok, hang on. It's not that I find them to be great company, but some folks do. But no, not me.
And, yep, birds of prey can be pretty nasty, unlikeable creatures, indeed. I don't know whether it's the gigantic mammal-swallowing beaks, the beady, angry eyes, or the gigantic flesh-ripping talons that are the putoff. But the plumage is kind of pretty, sometimes.