NOVA Bird Brain

Researchers

• John Marzluff is a professor of wildlife science at the University of Washington. His primary research is centered around Crows and their relationship with humans. He also focuses on efficient conservation methods to protect birds.

• Ludwig Huber, an Australian zoologist and researcher, has conducted extensive research on animal cognition. He studies a variety of species and has published many works on animal cognition.

• Auguste Von Bayern, a zoologist from the University of Cape Town, focuses on animal intelligence and cognition. She has done research on the learning and communication abilities of birds.

Notable Quotations

• "These rooks learn how to solve the puzzle by watching another bird, this is called social learning.(30:58)" - This quote gave me insight into the intelligence of birds and how they are able to learn how to solve a task through watching other birds. The term "social learning" stood out to me as it portrays how bird brains work.

• "A distressed raven appears to be comforted by a close friend. This raises a possibility that ravens might understand what other ravens are feeling. This is called theory of mind.(49:16)" - I chose this quote because it shows that birds, like humans, are emotional creatures and are aware of how others feel. It is important because it explains how birds are both intelligent and emotional creatures.

Summary

The overwhelming idea that I learned from "Bird Brain" is that birds are very intelligent and social creatures. The video and the tests that were conducted on the birds demonstrate their ability to quickly learn challenging tasks. Common studies that were conducted on the birds by the researchers were testing the birds ability to retrieve a treat that is difficult to reach. An important concept derived from testing the birds intelligence was "social learning". This idea is best represented at 30:58; once one bird was able to solve a task, the other birds watched and followed exactly how the first bird solved the task. This test was evident to the intelligence of birds and how they learn like humans. In a way, the first bird is a "teacher" to the rest of the birds.

Another aspect learned from the video is that birds are also very emotional creatures. For example, when one bird was distressed, another bird realized this and immediately went to comfort the bird. "Bird Brain" states, "A distressed raven appears to be comforted by a close friend (49:16)". This topic closely relates to the TIME article "Friendships". This article states, "Even as we all diverged into multiple species, pursuing our very different evolutionary arcs, all of us…may have retained the simple but powerful ability to find and care about one another (Zimmer)". Zimmer talks about how though there are many different species, we all are still emotional creatures and care about one another.

The final idea I learned from the video is how effectively birds can communicate with each other. A great example of this comes from 47:26 when Professor Marzluff puts on a mask that alerts all the crows and they become defensive. This mask was used years prior to the video when a researcher grabbed a crow to test it. The mask is now seen as a threat to the birds. This proves their ability to communicate with each other even through multiple generations. Overall, birds are amazing creatures with a great amount of intelligence and "Bird Brain" strengthens this claim.