Konrad Lorenz was an Austrian zoologist and ethologist who studied instinctive behavior in animals, specifically greylag geese and jackdaws. He got a Nobel Prize for his work on imprinting, the process by which birds bond with the first moving object they see after hatching.
Auguste von Bayern is interested in investigating the cognitive processes of both animals and humans and how their minds have evolved through selection pressures. Her research focuses on studying the socio-cognitive abilities of species that form pair bonds.
Isabella Schieber of the University of Vienna investigates the mechanisms behind complex avian social systems, with a particular interest in social support and its stress-reducing effects. She has studied geese and received a grant to investigate the interplay of hormones and behavior in these geese year-round, while also exploring cognitive aspects of social life.
(07:00) "Huge groups of birds can fill the sky with beautiful and coordinated patterns of flight. The spectacle seems like it would require high levels of intelligence, but it's mainly instinctive." This quote shows how not only are birds intelligent by themselves but they have complex instincts that help guide them.
(12:50) "Most bird brains are small. But they have one critical area in common with humans and other animals with higher intelligence." This quote shows a direct connection between humans and birds which helps people put their intelligence into context.
From "Nova: Bird Brain" I learned about the impressive cognitive abilities of birds and gained a better appreciation for these animals. The show demonstrates how birds many different kinds of behaviors, such as cooperation, communication, and social learning. Birds are capable of solving complex problems, such as using tools and manipulating their environment to obtain food.
The show highlights that birds are capable of solving complex problems by using tools and manipulating their environment, especially to get food. By studying the brains of birds, scientists can gain insights into how different areas of the brain are involved in cognition and behavior, which can ultimately help us better understand other animal brains. Overall the show highlights that birds have a wide range of capabilities and behaviors, and can be quite smart!
This documentary highlights how birds communicate with other animals; (38:00) "A bird is very attentive to the gaze of another animal, another species." In Kluger's article on animal communication, he writes that "all forms of communication are remarkable, understood only partly, and all are of value." This reminds me that bird communication is valuable not only because we can understand some forms such as a gaze, but because it can support communication in any way at all.
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