Even smarter than we thought? Study reveals clever ravens

[The Straight Story]

Even smarter than we thought? Study reveals clever ravens

GESTURES: A new study indicates birds assist others with pointing motions.


FAIRBANKS -- Ravens, which are well-known for outwitting everyone from garbage collectors to rival scavengers, may be even smarter than previously thought.

A new European study reports ravens commonly use gestures -- showing and offering objects to each other such as moss, stones and twigs. Such behavior puts ravens in rare company, making the birds the only non-primate confirmed as using pointing gestures to communicate, according to the study. The study, by Simone Pika and Thomas Bugnyar, was published in the Nov. 30 issue of the scientific journal Nature Communications.

Pika said gesturing skill and other intelligence tests, such as gaze-following and problem solving, show ravens could have cognitive abilities on the same level as great apes.

...

They witnessed 38 social interactions between raven pairs, such as using their beaks to show objects to other ravens, mainly members of the opposite sex.

http://www.adn.com/2011/12/10/2212243/even-smarter-than-we-thought-study.html

[Odin2005]

1. This should be reposted in Science

I'll refrain on locking it for the moment.

[The Straight Story]

2. Is there a sub section, for birds, and one for ravens (all under mammals)?

Just want to make sure it goes in the exact right spot.....

[Odin2005]

5. LMAO, I'm just trying to follow Skinner's rules!

[flying rabbit]

7. Just because it is non political

does not mean it cannot be in this forum. It is at the very least a current event. Maybe even an issue.

[flying rabbit]

4. I disagree

does not violate the mission statement of GD because it talks about (gasp) science.

[Xicano]

3. ...

[Merlot]

8. Lovely!

Wasn't there also a study that showed them fashioning tools?

[UnrepentantLiberal]

11. Yes.

And very sophisticated tools. There was a fascinating show about them on the Science Channel.

[ozone_man]

6. That the trickster creator is clever

should come as no surprise.

[aikoaiko]

9. "...ravens...the birds the only non-primate confirmed as using pointing gesture to communicate"?

I beg to differ.



Ok, pointers and their pointing are the result of generations of artificial selection and contingencies of reinforcement, but still....

[Danmel]

10. crows are very smart too

They make & use tools, recognize faces & communicate info to each other. There was a show on pbs called "a murder of crows", it was fascinating.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

12. That's the show I was thinking about.

I had no idea they were that smart.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

13. Found the full episode of A Murder of Crows

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/a-murder-of-crows/full-episode/5977/

[rucky]

14. Inuits know them as "The Trickster"

In Alaska, I had a close encounter with one. We were 2 feet apart and staring at each other for at least 30 seconds.