1 00:00:01,266 --> 00:00:02,733 (screaming) 2 00:00:02,766 --> 00:00:04,833 ♪ 3 00:00:04,866 --> 00:00:09,533 NARRATOR: Birds, one of nature's most amazing success stories. 4 00:00:09,566 --> 00:00:13,300 (chittering) 5 00:00:13,333 --> 00:00:15,900 {\an1}There are thousands of different species, 6 00:00:15,933 --> 00:00:18,500 {\an1}found everywhere on earth. 7 00:00:18,533 --> 00:00:21,433 (trilling) 8 00:00:21,466 --> 00:00:24,033 {\an1}They're beautiful... 9 00:00:24,066 --> 00:00:25,766 (screeching) 10 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:27,900 inspiring... 11 00:00:29,666 --> 00:00:31,566 and mysterious. 12 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:33,600 ♪ 13 00:00:33,633 --> 00:00:37,066 {\an1}But could they be smart? 14 00:00:37,100 --> 00:00:40,633 {\an1}AUGUSTE VON BAYERN: People commonly think of birds as small-brained 15 00:00:40,666 --> 00:00:42,400 {\an1}and not worth looking at. 16 00:00:42,433 --> 00:00:44,433 {\an1}But in the last couple of years, 17 00:00:44,466 --> 00:00:48,000 {\an1}our view of bird minds has been revolutionized. 18 00:00:48,033 --> 00:00:49,600 ♪ 19 00:00:49,633 --> 00:00:52,933 NARRATOR: Scientists are putting birds to the test. 20 00:00:52,966 --> 00:00:55,200 {\an1}Can they solve problems? 21 00:00:55,233 --> 00:00:59,166 {\an1}Can they cooperate? 22 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:00,633 {\an1}Are we friends again? 23 00:01:00,666 --> 00:01:03,100 NARRATOR: Do they feel emotion? 24 00:01:03,133 --> 00:01:05,133 (screeching) 25 00:01:05,166 --> 00:01:09,566 {\an1}New research shows just how clever they can be. 26 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,533 {\an1}Every day with these birds is interesting and different. 27 00:01:12,566 --> 00:01:16,133 It's always fun and exciting and new. 28 00:01:16,166 --> 00:01:19,366 NARRATOR:And perhaps they're more like us 29 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,733 {\an1}than we could have ever imagined. 30 00:01:22,766 --> 00:01:24,200 CHRISTINA RIEHL: We're starting to realize 31 00:01:24,233 --> 00:01:26,166 {\an1}that the simplest explanation 32 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:28,500 {\an1}may be that they're seeing the world in much the same way 33 00:01:28,533 --> 00:01:30,433 that we do. 34 00:01:30,466 --> 00:01:33,033 (singing) 35 00:01:33,066 --> 00:01:34,500 NARRATOR: Exploring the "Bird Brain" 36 00:01:34,533 --> 00:01:37,533 {\an1}right now on "NOVA." 37 00:01:59,333 --> 00:02:01,066 ♪ 38 00:02:01,100 --> 00:02:05,200 NARRATOR:It's picnic time at a small zoo in the English countryside, 39 00:02:05,233 --> 00:02:09,266 {\an1}and visitors are about to meet a very special parrot. 40 00:02:09,300 --> 00:02:10,800 {\an1}MAN (on microphone):His name is Rio, 41 00:02:10,833 --> 00:02:15,433 {\an7}and after three I want you toshout "Rio" as loud as you can. 42 00:02:15,466 --> 00:02:18,533 One, two, three. 43 00:02:18,566 --> 00:02:21,966 ALL: Rio! 44 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,966 NARRATOR: Rio is a ten-year old scarlet macaw 45 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:27,733 {\an1}from the South American rain forest 46 00:02:27,766 --> 00:02:29,266 {\an1}who's been trained as an entertainer. 47 00:02:29,300 --> 00:02:31,433 {\an1}MAN:Can you show everybodyyour wings? 48 00:02:31,466 --> 00:02:33,866 {\an1}Come on then, Rio. 49 00:02:33,900 --> 00:02:34,966 {\an1}There we go. 50 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,300 (applause) 51 00:02:38,333 --> 00:02:42,900 NARRATOR: Rio will fly on cue. 52 00:02:42,933 --> 00:02:45,233 Give him a big roundof applause-- well, done, Rio, 53 00:02:45,266 --> 00:02:47,166 lovely flying today. 54 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:51,066 NARRATOR: And he's a talented gymnast. 55 00:02:51,100 --> 00:02:54,633 MAN:Yeah, he's showing off today.Really Rio, definitely. 56 00:02:54,666 --> 00:02:57,966 ♪ 57 00:02:58,000 --> 00:02:59,833 NARRATOR: But today he's going to try something 58 00:02:59,866 --> 00:03:03,700 {\an1}that's not in his repertoire of show tricks. 59 00:03:03,733 --> 00:03:06,400 {\an1}It's called a string pull test. 60 00:03:06,433 --> 00:03:12,500 {\an1}Rio's favorite food-- a peanut-- is dangling on a string. 61 00:03:12,533 --> 00:03:15,966 {\an1}He'll have to pull the string up to get the peanut. 62 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:17,866 (squawks) 63 00:03:17,900 --> 00:03:20,166 {\an1}Rio has not been trained to do this. 64 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:24,233 {\an1}In fact, he's never seen this puzzle before. 65 00:03:24,266 --> 00:03:28,866 {\an1}And it isn't a skill a parrot normally needs. 66 00:03:28,900 --> 00:03:30,633 {\an1}If you're a parrot in the wild, you probably 67 00:03:30,666 --> 00:03:33,233 {\an7}will never come across a treatdangling from a piece of string. 68 00:03:33,266 --> 00:03:36,300 {\an1}So it had to figure out what to do. 69 00:03:36,333 --> 00:03:38,533 {\an1}That implies these birds have the ability 70 00:03:38,566 --> 00:03:40,533 {\an1}to visualize a puzzle... 71 00:03:40,566 --> 00:03:43,033 ♪ 72 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:50,333 ...To visualize a physical action, 73 00:03:50,366 --> 00:03:54,366 {\an1}and then to foresee the consequences of that action. 74 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:59,033 NARRATOR: Rio can see the string, and the peanut he wants. 75 00:03:59,066 --> 00:04:02,300 {\an1}At first, he's not interested. 76 00:04:02,333 --> 00:04:05,033 ♪ 77 00:04:05,066 --> 00:04:10,500 {\an1}But after a few minutes--- and a little encouragement-- 78 00:04:10,533 --> 00:04:13,066 {\an1}he figures out what to do. 79 00:04:13,100 --> 00:04:17,266 ♪ 80 00:04:18,100 --> 00:04:21,966 ♪ 81 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:23,866 {\an1}And once he's figured it out, 82 00:04:23,900 --> 00:04:26,666 he can repeat it without trial and error. 83 00:04:26,700 --> 00:04:28,966 ♪ 84 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:32,366 JOHN MARZLUFF: When a bird pulls a string and secures food in that way, 85 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,400 {\an1}it demonstrates a level of insight into the problem. 86 00:04:35,433 --> 00:04:40,566 {\an1}It has worked out the mechanics and the process beforehand. 87 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:42,866 {\an7}And that's not something we used to think 88 00:04:42,900 --> 00:04:44,533 {\an7}birds really did much of. 89 00:04:44,566 --> 00:04:45,600 ♪ 90 00:04:45,633 --> 00:04:47,866 (chittering) 91 00:04:47,900 --> 00:04:50,100 NARRATOR: For many decades, scientists thought 92 00:04:50,133 --> 00:04:54,600 {\an1}that most of a bird's behavior was ruled by instinct. 93 00:04:54,633 --> 00:04:58,700 {\an1}(birds squawking) 94 00:04:58,733 --> 00:05:00,000 ♪ 95 00:05:00,033 --> 00:05:04,366 {\an7}In the 1930s, the Austrian zoologist Konrad Lorenz 96 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:08,666 {\an7}conducted some of the earliest studies on the lives of birds. 97 00:05:08,700 --> 00:05:10,166 {\an7}Working with geese, 98 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:12,800 {\an7}he saw that they learn from the moment they're born. 99 00:05:12,833 --> 00:05:15,233 {\an1}It's called imprinting-- 100 00:05:15,266 --> 00:05:18,633 {\an1}they follow the actions of the first thing they see-- 101 00:05:18,666 --> 00:05:20,100 {\an1}which is usually their mother. 102 00:05:20,133 --> 00:05:25,100 {\an1}But Lorenz showed that even thismost basic instinctive behavior 103 00:05:25,133 --> 00:05:28,200 {\an1}can be learned in a new way. 104 00:05:28,233 --> 00:05:31,100 {\an1}These geese imprinted on him. 105 00:05:31,133 --> 00:05:32,333 RIEHL: The significance 106 00:05:32,366 --> 00:05:35,133 {\an1}of the imprinting experiment was it showed that 107 00:05:35,166 --> 00:05:36,700 {\an1}there were behaviors such as following 108 00:05:36,733 --> 00:05:38,500 {\an1}that the behavior itself is instinctive. 109 00:05:38,533 --> 00:05:42,266 {\an1}But the cue, what do you follow, that's learned. 110 00:05:42,300 --> 00:05:46,533 {\an8}♪ 111 00:05:46,566 --> 00:05:49,400 NARRATOR: Lorenz spent years trying to tease out the difference 112 00:05:49,433 --> 00:05:53,866 between instinct and intelligent behavior. 113 00:05:53,900 --> 00:05:56,833 {\an1}In one set of observations, he discovered that 114 00:05:56,866 --> 00:05:59,500 {\an1}a goose sitting on a nest reacts immediately 115 00:05:59,533 --> 00:06:04,133 {\an1}if an egg rolls away, she brings it back to the clutch. 116 00:06:04,166 --> 00:06:08,166 It looks like an intelligent action. 117 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:13,266 {\an1}But if the egg is removed, she still continues the movement. 118 00:06:13,300 --> 00:06:15,966 {\an1}Her brain is responding instinctively 119 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:18,566 {\an1}to a simple trigger. 120 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:21,833 {\an1}Even when the egg is replaced with a cube, 121 00:06:21,866 --> 00:06:24,400 {\an1}she brings it back into the nest. 122 00:06:24,433 --> 00:06:27,000 ♪ 123 00:06:27,033 --> 00:06:28,500 RIEHL: When the bird continues the motion 124 00:06:28,533 --> 00:06:30,633 {\an1}even after the egg is gone, that implies 125 00:06:30,666 --> 00:06:33,766 {\an1}that the behavior is more or less instinctive. 126 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,066 {\an1}The bird isn't consciously thinking through 127 00:06:36,100 --> 00:06:37,733 {\an1}the consequences of its actions. 128 00:06:37,766 --> 00:06:41,100 ♪ 129 00:06:41,133 --> 00:06:43,933 NARRATOR: Even what looks like anincredibly complicated skill--- 130 00:06:43,966 --> 00:06:46,633 flying-- 131 00:06:46,666 --> 00:06:49,433 {\an1}requires very little thought. 132 00:06:49,466 --> 00:06:52,366 ♪ 133 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:54,633 MARZLUFF:There are many aspects of flying that are controlled 134 00:06:54,666 --> 00:06:56,466 {\an1}without ever sending signals to the brain. 135 00:06:56,500 --> 00:06:59,000 ♪ 136 00:06:59,033 --> 00:07:01,000 {\an1}And they're controlled right by feedback 137 00:07:01,033 --> 00:07:04,966 {\an1}from the feathers to the spinal cord, 138 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:08,133 {\an1}and control how the wingsare then moved to change flight, 139 00:07:08,166 --> 00:07:09,400 {\an1}without thinking about it at all. 140 00:07:09,433 --> 00:07:11,666 (chittering) 141 00:07:11,700 --> 00:07:14,700 NARRATOR: Huge groups of birds can fill the sky 142 00:07:14,733 --> 00:07:18,400 {\an1}with beautiful and coordinated patterns of flight. 143 00:07:18,433 --> 00:07:20,300 ♪ 144 00:07:20,333 --> 00:07:23,133 {\an1}This spectacle seems like it would require 145 00:07:23,166 --> 00:07:26,533 {\an1}high levels of intelligence, 146 00:07:26,566 --> 00:07:29,266 {\an1}but it's mainly instinctive. 147 00:07:29,300 --> 00:07:32,300 ♪ 148 00:07:32,333 --> 00:07:36,833 {\an1}So is everything a bird does ruled by instinct? 149 00:07:36,866 --> 00:07:41,766 {\an1}Or do they have whatwe would consider intelligence? 150 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:43,700 {\an1}♪ 151 00:07:43,733 --> 00:07:47,366 Meet Bran-- a hand-reared young raven-- 152 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:53,366 and his owner, bird trainer Lloyd Buck. 153 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,433 {\an7}Well, this is Bran,and he's a three-year-old raven. 154 00:07:56,466 --> 00:07:59,166 {\an8}We've had himsince he was about ten days old, 155 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:00,700 {\an1}so he's what you call 156 00:08:00,733 --> 00:08:03,033 {\an1}"complete social imprint" on humans, 157 00:08:03,066 --> 00:08:05,233 {\an1}but he's particularly bonded with me. 158 00:08:05,266 --> 00:08:08,400 {\an1}We share a very, very close bond. 159 00:08:08,433 --> 00:08:09,800 (squawks) 160 00:08:09,833 --> 00:08:11,166 ♪ 161 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:13,533 NARRATOR: To keep Bran busy, Lloyd will sometimes 162 00:08:13,566 --> 00:08:15,033 {\an1}give him a problem to solve. 163 00:08:15,066 --> 00:08:17,133 (squawking) 164 00:08:17,166 --> 00:08:19,100 {\an1}Here's one he tried a few months ago, 165 00:08:19,133 --> 00:08:22,900 {\an1}in Bran's aviary, where there's a birdbath. 166 00:08:22,933 --> 00:08:26,433 {\an1}A piece of food is trapped inside a plastic bottle 167 00:08:26,466 --> 00:08:28,200 {\an7}that's been crushed. 168 00:08:28,233 --> 00:08:31,266 {\an8}♪ 169 00:08:36,166 --> 00:08:40,433 {\an1}First, Bran adds water. 170 00:08:40,466 --> 00:08:42,800 {\an1}That alone doesn't free the food, 171 00:08:42,833 --> 00:08:46,733 {\an1}so he swishes it aroundso that liquid carries the food 172 00:08:46,766 --> 00:08:48,366 {\an1}out of the bottle top. 173 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:52,566 ♪ 174 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:54,466 ♪ 175 00:08:54,500 --> 00:08:57,400 That's my boy! 176 00:08:57,433 --> 00:08:59,033 Good boy! 177 00:08:59,066 --> 00:09:02,566 NARRATOR: Lloyd didn't teach Bran how to solve this problem. 178 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:03,866 {\an1}He just gave him the challenge 179 00:09:03,900 --> 00:09:06,633 {\an1}and let him figure it out on his own. 180 00:09:06,666 --> 00:09:08,700 (squawks) 181 00:09:08,733 --> 00:09:10,600 BUCK: So, we've presented him with that problem, 182 00:09:10,633 --> 00:09:14,700 and through his own intelligence and problem-solving abilities, 183 00:09:14,733 --> 00:09:17,000 he worked out to use his own water, 184 00:09:17,033 --> 00:09:19,566 {\an1}what he had around him, to his advantage, 185 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:21,766 {\an1}which I think shows a lot of intelligence. 186 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:24,900 ♪ 187 00:09:24,933 --> 00:09:29,033 NARRATOR: Ravens like Bran and parrots like Rio 188 00:09:29,066 --> 00:09:32,366 belong to two families of birds that are widely considered 189 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:35,333 to be among the smartest species. 190 00:09:35,366 --> 00:09:39,300 Ravens are part of the crow family. 191 00:09:39,333 --> 00:09:41,833 {\an1}Crows live almost everywhere on earth, 192 00:09:41,866 --> 00:09:46,533 {\an1}with an average lifespan of ten to 15 years. 193 00:09:46,566 --> 00:09:49,433 {\an1}They have a starring role in many classic myths 194 00:09:49,466 --> 00:09:51,466 {\an1}as cunning animals who bring bad luck. 195 00:09:51,500 --> 00:09:54,433 (croaking) 196 00:09:54,466 --> 00:09:57,833 {\an1}Parrots, on the other hand, have been loved 197 00:09:57,866 --> 00:10:00,833 {\an1}as pets by humans for thousands of years. 198 00:10:00,866 --> 00:10:03,733 They also thrivein many different environments, 199 00:10:03,766 --> 00:10:07,033 {\an1}and they can live to be 80 years old. 200 00:10:07,066 --> 00:10:08,600 ♪ 201 00:10:08,633 --> 00:10:11,800 Their long life span gives them plenty of opportunity 202 00:10:11,833 --> 00:10:13,733 {\an1}to learn new things, 203 00:10:13,766 --> 00:10:16,800 {\an1}and that may be one reason why they seem so smart. 204 00:10:16,833 --> 00:10:21,933 ♪ 205 00:10:21,966 --> 00:10:24,900 At the Haidlhof Research Station near Vienna, 206 00:10:24,933 --> 00:10:27,000 {\an1}scientists are studying the intelligence 207 00:10:27,033 --> 00:10:30,100 of many kinds of crows and parrots. 208 00:10:30,133 --> 00:10:31,866 ♪ 209 00:10:31,900 --> 00:10:33,466 {\an1}(speaking German) 210 00:10:33,500 --> 00:10:36,233 {\an8}(translated): What makes our center unique is the fact that we have 211 00:10:36,266 --> 00:10:38,733 {\an7}multiple bird species here at the same time, 212 00:10:38,766 --> 00:10:42,033 {\an1}and it is very interesting to compare them. 213 00:10:42,066 --> 00:10:45,733 ♪ 214 00:10:45,766 --> 00:10:47,800 NARRATOR: They're working with a type of parrot 215 00:10:47,833 --> 00:10:50,033 called a kea, from New Zealand. 216 00:10:50,066 --> 00:10:54,133 This is John, and he'll be trying 217 00:10:54,166 --> 00:10:56,633 a much harder string-pull test. 218 00:10:58,133 --> 00:11:00,933 {\an1}First, peanut butter is hidden in a small tube 219 00:11:00,966 --> 00:11:03,100 {\an1}and tied to the end of a string. 220 00:11:03,133 --> 00:11:07,066 {\an1}Right away this is a more complex challenge, 221 00:11:07,100 --> 00:11:09,266 {\an1}because the treat is out of sight, 222 00:11:09,300 --> 00:11:12,266 {\an1}instead of hanging right in front of him. 223 00:11:12,300 --> 00:11:13,700 ♪ 224 00:11:13,733 --> 00:11:17,566 {\an1}To complicate things further, now there are two strings, 225 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:21,100 {\an1}but the second one just has a stick on the end. 226 00:11:21,133 --> 00:11:23,866 {\an1}John goes straight to the correct string 227 00:11:23,900 --> 00:11:26,300 {\an1}where the reward hangs directly below him. 228 00:11:26,333 --> 00:11:29,033 ♪ 229 00:11:29,066 --> 00:11:32,833 {\an1}Next, the two strings are crossed. 230 00:11:32,866 --> 00:11:37,400 {\an1}So now the reward is no longer directly below the attachment 231 00:11:37,433 --> 00:11:40,133 {\an1}to the right string. 232 00:11:40,166 --> 00:11:43,666 {\an1}And John has to decide which string to pull. 233 00:11:43,700 --> 00:11:50,400 ♪ 234 00:11:50,433 --> 00:11:51,733 When the string is anchored here, 235 00:11:51,766 --> 00:11:54,033 {\an1}and the reward is here, and a string is anchored here, 236 00:11:54,066 --> 00:11:56,133 {\an1}and the reward is here, the position of the reward 237 00:11:56,166 --> 00:11:59,266 {\an1}is actually opposite to wherethe bird might expect it to be. 238 00:11:59,300 --> 00:12:04,100 {\an1}So it implies an additional layer of processing. 239 00:12:04,133 --> 00:12:07,300 NARRATOR: John immediately pulls the right string. 240 00:12:07,333 --> 00:12:09,233 ♪ 241 00:12:09,266 --> 00:12:12,600 Most of the kea parrots who trythis puzzle need some practice, 242 00:12:12,633 --> 00:12:15,933 {\an1}but even with the rewards and strings swapped around, 243 00:12:15,966 --> 00:12:19,700 {\an1}they learn to pull the right one most of the time. 244 00:12:19,733 --> 00:12:23,366 MARZLUFF: If they pull a string that is offset from the food, 245 00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:25,166 {\an1}this really implies that they have a plan. 246 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:26,633 {\an1}And that's a real key, 247 00:12:26,666 --> 00:12:31,200 {\an1}they're able to plan this out mentally, work out the steps, 248 00:12:31,233 --> 00:12:33,933 {\an1}and employ it correctly when they see the task. 249 00:12:33,966 --> 00:12:35,866 ♪ 250 00:12:35,900 --> 00:12:37,633 NARRATOR: Compared to other birds, 251 00:12:37,666 --> 00:12:41,066 {\an1}parrots and crows have large brains 252 00:12:41,100 --> 00:12:44,800 {\an1}in relation to their body size, and scientists believe 253 00:12:44,833 --> 00:12:47,433 {\an1}that may be one reason why they can work out 254 00:12:47,466 --> 00:12:51,166 {\an1}solutions to problems they don't encounter in the wild. 255 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:52,900 ♪ 256 00:12:52,933 --> 00:12:54,800 {\an1}Most bird brains are small. 257 00:12:54,833 --> 00:12:57,833 {\an1}But they have one critical area 258 00:12:57,866 --> 00:13:00,533 {\an1}in common with humans and other animals 259 00:13:00,566 --> 00:13:01,933 {\an1}with higher intelligence. 260 00:13:01,966 --> 00:13:04,333 ♪ 261 00:13:04,366 --> 00:13:07,933 MARZLUFF:The executive center of thebird's brain is right here. 262 00:13:07,966 --> 00:13:10,166 {\an1}And that's the part that really allows them 263 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:12,900 {\an1}to make plans and strategies 264 00:13:12,933 --> 00:13:16,500 {\an1}and organize ideas to use to act upon things 265 00:13:16,533 --> 00:13:18,166 {\an1}that will happen in the future. 266 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,433 (croaking) 267 00:13:21,466 --> 00:13:23,300 NARRATOR: Birds brains may be tiny, 268 00:13:23,333 --> 00:13:27,433 {\an1}but for their size they seem to contain more brain cells-- 269 00:13:27,466 --> 00:13:30,100 or neurons-- than many other animals. 270 00:13:30,133 --> 00:13:32,333 ♪ 271 00:13:32,366 --> 00:13:35,566 MARZLUFF: The number of neurons is abetter indication of brain power 272 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:37,566 {\an1}than the physical size of the brain. 273 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,033 {\an1}And this is an interesting thing we've learned recently 274 00:13:40,066 --> 00:13:43,066 {\an1}that bird brains actually pack a lot more neurons 275 00:13:43,100 --> 00:13:47,433 {\an1}into a particular area than do mammal brains. 276 00:13:47,466 --> 00:13:49,500 {\an7}So even though they're physically very small in size, 277 00:13:49,533 --> 00:13:52,366 {\an7}they have a lot of punch in that size. 278 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:55,300 {\an8}♪ 279 00:13:55,333 --> 00:13:59,366 {\an8}NARRATOR: The intelligence of parrots like kea 280 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:02,933 {\an8}is also thought to be influenced by where they come from. 281 00:14:02,966 --> 00:14:06,533 {\an7}In their natural habitat, 282 00:14:06,566 --> 00:14:11,200 {\an7}the highest mountainsof New Zealand, food is scarce. 283 00:14:11,233 --> 00:14:17,000 {\an7}Sometimes kea parrots can stripberries from shrubs and bushes. 284 00:14:17,033 --> 00:14:19,766 {\an7}Other times they have to search for insects. 285 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:22,633 {\an8}♪ 286 00:14:22,666 --> 00:14:27,533 {\an7}They only find enough to eat by being adaptable. 287 00:14:27,566 --> 00:14:30,666 {\an7}And that has an impact on their brains. 288 00:14:30,700 --> 00:14:32,400 ♪ 289 00:14:32,433 --> 00:14:34,733 MARZLUFF: Anything that involves innovation 290 00:14:34,766 --> 00:14:36,233 {\an1}and trying new techniques 291 00:14:36,266 --> 00:14:37,833 {\an1}and having to solve problems 292 00:14:37,866 --> 00:14:40,233 {\an1}within the environment to get food, 293 00:14:40,266 --> 00:14:42,300 {\an1}that all stimulates a greater connection 294 00:14:42,333 --> 00:14:44,300 {\an1}of the neurons in one's brain. 295 00:14:44,333 --> 00:14:45,766 ♪ 296 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,833 {\an1}So they're basically building a strong brain 297 00:14:48,866 --> 00:14:50,000 {\an1}by having to explore 298 00:14:50,033 --> 00:14:53,766 {\an1}this complex and variable environment. 299 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:59,333 NARRATOR: Their explorations make kea parrots inquisitive-- 300 00:14:59,366 --> 00:15:01,866 and fearless. 301 00:15:01,900 --> 00:15:04,400 {\an1}And they're fascinating to watch. 302 00:15:04,433 --> 00:15:06,433 ♪ 303 00:15:06,466 --> 00:15:08,533 {\an1}Because they evolved on New Zealand, 304 00:15:08,566 --> 00:15:10,733 {\an1}where they had few predators, 305 00:15:10,766 --> 00:15:12,900 {\an1}these birds don't seem afraid of anything. 306 00:15:12,933 --> 00:15:14,833 (squawks) 307 00:15:14,866 --> 00:15:15,833 {\an1}Until humans arrived, 308 00:15:15,866 --> 00:15:17,733 there was little to threaten them. 309 00:15:17,766 --> 00:15:20,100 {\an1}They could explore whatever they wanted-- 310 00:15:20,133 --> 00:15:24,233 and still do. 311 00:15:24,266 --> 00:15:27,300 ♪ 312 00:15:27,333 --> 00:15:30,266 {\an1}This is very different from the other super-brains 313 00:15:30,300 --> 00:15:31,966 {\an1}of the bird world. 314 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,533 {\an1}Ravens and the rest of the crow family 315 00:15:34,566 --> 00:15:37,266 {\an1}live alongside big predators. 316 00:15:37,300 --> 00:15:38,800 (growling) 317 00:15:38,833 --> 00:15:40,066 (cawing) 318 00:15:40,100 --> 00:15:41,266 {\an1}Like kea parrots, 319 00:15:41,300 --> 00:15:44,266 {\an1}they must find food wherever they can-- 320 00:15:44,300 --> 00:15:46,466 {\an1}even if they have to steal it. 321 00:15:46,500 --> 00:15:49,333 {\an1}But wolves and coyotes are dangerous, 322 00:15:49,366 --> 00:15:52,633 {\an1}so crows and ravens have to be cautious. 323 00:15:52,666 --> 00:15:55,900 MARZLUFF: Crows are famous for being afraid of new things 324 00:15:55,933 --> 00:15:57,233 {\an1}that they encounter in their environment. 325 00:15:57,266 --> 00:15:58,533 {\an1}And most animals are. 326 00:15:58,566 --> 00:16:00,500 {\an1}It's a good strategy. It keeps you out of trouble. 327 00:16:00,533 --> 00:16:03,066 {\an1}It pays to be wary. 328 00:16:03,100 --> 00:16:04,166 {\an1}But crows are famously wary. 329 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:05,700 (chirping) 330 00:16:05,733 --> 00:16:07,200 NARRATOR: Compared to parrots, 331 00:16:07,233 --> 00:16:10,433 ravens and the rest of the crows have a very different approach 332 00:16:10,466 --> 00:16:11,600 {\an1}to solving problems. 333 00:16:11,633 --> 00:16:14,366 ♪ 334 00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:17,600 {\an1}Auguste von Bayernworks with New Caledonian crows, 335 00:16:17,633 --> 00:16:21,466 {\an1}considered to be one of the most intelligent bird species. 336 00:16:21,500 --> 00:16:23,500 ♪ 337 00:16:23,533 --> 00:16:25,233 This is Wek. 338 00:16:25,266 --> 00:16:27,633 {\an1}She's wearing a collar because she recently lost her mate. 339 00:16:27,666 --> 00:16:29,233 Come on. 340 00:16:29,266 --> 00:16:31,500 NARRATOR: Crows mate for life, 341 00:16:31,533 --> 00:16:36,233 and Wek started pulling out herfeathers when her partner died. 342 00:16:36,266 --> 00:16:39,666 {\an1}She's been raised by humans since infancy. 343 00:16:39,700 --> 00:16:42,233 VON BAYERN: Wek was hand-raised and that's why she has 344 00:16:42,266 --> 00:16:44,633 {\an1}a very close relationship with humans. 345 00:16:44,666 --> 00:16:50,700 {\an1}In all tests she's participatedin she was one of the best birds 346 00:16:50,733 --> 00:16:53,100 {\an1}and, yeah, she seems to be clever 347 00:16:53,133 --> 00:16:56,566 {\an1}and enjoys to work in our experiments. 348 00:16:56,600 --> 00:17:00,366 (cawing) 349 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:02,100 ♪ 350 00:17:02,133 --> 00:17:05,833 NARRATOR: This experiment is designed tocompare how New Caledonian crows 351 00:17:05,866 --> 00:17:08,400 and kea solve problems. 352 00:17:08,433 --> 00:17:10,366 ♪ 353 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:12,200 {\an1}Wek represents the crows, 354 00:17:12,233 --> 00:17:15,300 {\an1}and for the kea parrots, this is Kermit. 355 00:17:15,333 --> 00:17:18,666 {\an1}Their reward: a peanut. 356 00:17:18,700 --> 00:17:23,666 {\an1}Their challenge is called a multi-access box. 357 00:17:23,700 --> 00:17:24,966 VON BAYERN: As the name suggests, 358 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,933 {\an1}the bird is presented with a problem-- 359 00:17:28,966 --> 00:17:32,100 {\an1}food in the center of a box, 360 00:17:32,133 --> 00:17:34,866 so out of reach. 361 00:17:34,900 --> 00:17:37,100 {\an1}And the special thing is that it can be accessed 362 00:17:37,133 --> 00:17:38,400 {\an1}in four different ways. 363 00:17:38,433 --> 00:17:40,733 {\an1}So there are four different solutions to get the food 364 00:17:40,766 --> 00:17:41,966 out of that box. 365 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:43,633 ♪ 366 00:17:43,666 --> 00:17:46,633 NARRATOR: The birds can pull the string to get the peanut out 367 00:17:46,666 --> 00:17:48,500 {\an1}through the hole, 368 00:17:48,533 --> 00:17:52,533 {\an1}drop a ball down a chute to dislodge it, 369 00:17:52,566 --> 00:17:55,700 {\an1}prod the nut with a stick, 370 00:17:55,733 --> 00:17:59,600 or open the door and reach inside. 371 00:17:59,633 --> 00:18:04,133 {\an1}This is a new approach because usually animals 372 00:18:04,166 --> 00:18:05,733 {\an1}are just tested with one problem 373 00:18:05,766 --> 00:18:07,733 {\an1}and there's just one way of getting the food, 374 00:18:07,766 --> 00:18:10,566 {\an1}and it's very interesting to see how species differ 375 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:13,733 {\an1}in the way they approach a problem 376 00:18:13,766 --> 00:18:16,866 {\an1}and the way they explore that box. 377 00:18:19,466 --> 00:18:22,100 NARRATOR: The first time both birds see the puzzle 378 00:18:22,133 --> 00:18:23,800 {\an1}they make the same choice-- 379 00:18:23,833 --> 00:18:26,500 {\an1}they just pull the string. 380 00:18:26,533 --> 00:18:30,700 ♪ 381 00:18:31,533 --> 00:18:34,700 ♪ 382 00:18:34,733 --> 00:18:39,000 {\an1}Then the researchers take that solution away, 383 00:18:39,033 --> 00:18:40,933 {\an1}to see what they'll do next. 384 00:18:40,966 --> 00:18:46,033 {\an1}Wek uses the stick to poke the nut free, 385 00:18:46,066 --> 00:18:48,066 {\an1}but this isn't a surprise. 386 00:18:48,100 --> 00:18:51,566 VON BAYERN: New Caledonian crows are very special 387 00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:55,066 {\an1}because they're the only crow species that use tools 388 00:18:55,100 --> 00:18:56,133 in the wild. 389 00:18:56,166 --> 00:19:01,400 ♪ 390 00:19:01,433 --> 00:19:06,400 They obtain a lot of their diet by using tools. 391 00:19:06,433 --> 00:19:10,866 ♪ 392 00:19:12,433 --> 00:19:16,600 NARRATOR: Kea parrots don't use tools in the wild. 393 00:19:16,633 --> 00:19:21,366 ♪ 394 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:23,333 {\an1}But Kermit figures out a solution 395 00:19:23,366 --> 00:19:24,733 {\an1}with the ball and chute. 396 00:19:24,766 --> 00:19:31,566 ♪ 397 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:35,833 {\an1}Again, the researchers remove the option that's been used-- 398 00:19:35,866 --> 00:19:38,400 ♪ 399 00:19:40,666 --> 00:19:45,466 for Wek, the hole for the stick is taped over. 400 00:19:45,500 --> 00:19:49,033 Wek has to try something else-- 401 00:19:49,066 --> 00:19:52,533 ♪ 402 00:19:52,566 --> 00:19:55,633 so she tries the ball and chute. 403 00:19:55,666 --> 00:20:01,000 {\an1}With two choices left, Kermit just opens the door, 404 00:20:01,033 --> 00:20:03,366 reaches inside and takes the peanut. 405 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:09,700 ♪ 406 00:20:09,733 --> 00:20:13,133 {\an1}But Wek won't take this approach. 407 00:20:13,166 --> 00:20:15,400 MARZLUFF: The last thing a crow wants to ever do 408 00:20:15,433 --> 00:20:17,733 is stick its head in something. 409 00:20:17,766 --> 00:20:19,533 {\an1}They're extremely vulnerable if they do that. 410 00:20:19,566 --> 00:20:21,166 {\an1}And to stick their head inside that box, 411 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:22,666 {\an1}it could trap them in it. 412 00:20:22,700 --> 00:20:25,466 ♪ 413 00:20:25,500 --> 00:20:27,733 NARRATOR: Wek still opens the door, 414 00:20:27,766 --> 00:20:30,866 {\an1}but rather than put her head inside, 415 00:20:30,900 --> 00:20:35,600 {\an1}she pokes the nut free with a stick. 416 00:20:35,633 --> 00:20:38,533 ♪ 417 00:20:41,733 --> 00:20:45,733 {\an1}Kermit's last option is the stick. 418 00:20:45,766 --> 00:20:48,966 {\an1}His curved beak makes it very hard to hold, 419 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:51,533 {\an1}but he still sees this as a potential solution. 420 00:20:51,566 --> 00:20:54,333 ♪ 421 00:20:54,366 --> 00:20:56,533 {\an1}Even though it's not easy. 422 00:20:56,566 --> 00:21:01,800 ♪ 423 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:13,800 ♪ 424 00:21:15,233 --> 00:21:19,800 ♪ 425 00:21:21,033 --> 00:21:24,000 ♪ 426 00:21:24,033 --> 00:21:28,366 Both birds found four different solutions to the puzzle, 427 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:31,866 {\an1}showing they're able to think flexibly. 428 00:21:31,900 --> 00:21:35,600 ♪ 429 00:21:35,633 --> 00:21:37,866 MARZLUFF: The ability to think flexibly 430 00:21:37,900 --> 00:21:41,700 {\an1}is certainly a hallmark of a cognitively advanced animal. 431 00:21:41,733 --> 00:21:44,133 {\an1}So rather than having this set response 432 00:21:44,166 --> 00:21:47,400 {\an1}to a stimulus every time, as Lorenz worked upon, 433 00:21:47,433 --> 00:21:50,100 now you've got a whole battery of responses 434 00:21:50,133 --> 00:21:53,433 {\an1}that could be put into play. 435 00:21:53,466 --> 00:21:56,300 {\an1}And now it's a mental task to sort among which ones 436 00:21:56,333 --> 00:21:58,966 {\an1}are best for a given situation. 437 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:03,133 ♪ 438 00:22:03,166 --> 00:22:07,300 NARRATOR: A bird's environment can encourage flexible thinking. 439 00:22:07,333 --> 00:22:11,600 Like humans, birds seem to learn new things by playing. 440 00:22:11,633 --> 00:22:14,866 ♪ 441 00:22:14,900 --> 00:22:17,300 {\an7}(speaking German) 442 00:22:17,333 --> 00:22:19,000 {\an8}(translated): The great thing about keas 443 00:22:19,033 --> 00:22:21,233 {\an7}is that they are very playful and curious. 444 00:22:21,266 --> 00:22:23,500 {\an1}They are not only interested in new things, 445 00:22:23,533 --> 00:22:24,866 {\an1}but are also quite daring. 446 00:22:24,900 --> 00:22:28,933 {\an1}They have a notorious urge to explore everything they see 447 00:22:28,966 --> 00:22:31,666 {\an1}and they want to play and explore the physical effects 448 00:22:31,700 --> 00:22:33,700 and consequences of their actions. 449 00:22:33,733 --> 00:22:37,433 ♪ 450 00:22:37,466 --> 00:22:40,533 NARRATOR: Researchers noticed that kea parrots 451 00:22:40,566 --> 00:22:44,366 {\an1}often try to put one object inside another. 452 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:45,733 ♪ 453 00:22:45,766 --> 00:22:48,566 {\an1}So they give them a related challenge-- 454 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:51,700 {\an1}a selection of tubes fixed to the floor. 455 00:22:51,733 --> 00:22:52,800 {\an1}The younger birds are fascinated, 456 00:22:52,833 --> 00:22:56,200 {\an1}trying to put the toys into the tubes. 457 00:22:56,233 --> 00:23:00,200 {\an1}There's no food reward, just curiosity. 458 00:23:00,233 --> 00:23:03,433 {\an1}And they seem to get better at learning which toys 459 00:23:03,466 --> 00:23:05,700 fit which tubes. 460 00:23:05,733 --> 00:23:07,466 ♪ 461 00:23:07,500 --> 00:23:09,033 Can they take this new knowledge 462 00:23:09,066 --> 00:23:11,433 and apply it in a different situation? 463 00:23:11,466 --> 00:23:13,800 ♪ 464 00:23:13,833 --> 00:23:18,533 {\an1}A peanut stuck in a tube is a new problem to solve. 465 00:23:18,566 --> 00:23:21,966 ♪ 466 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,100 {\an1}The younger birds approach it first. 467 00:23:25,133 --> 00:23:26,400 ♪ 468 00:23:30,133 --> 00:23:34,466 ♪ 469 00:23:34,500 --> 00:23:38,866 {\an1}This one studies the problem from all angles. 470 00:23:38,900 --> 00:23:43,066 ♪ 471 00:23:48,900 --> 00:23:53,566 ♪ 472 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:57,266 She picks up a block, but seems to know that it's too big. 473 00:23:57,300 --> 00:24:00,600 ♪ 474 00:24:00,633 --> 00:24:05,200 {\an1}She then selects the one block that fits the tube. 475 00:24:05,233 --> 00:24:06,866 ♪ 476 00:24:06,900 --> 00:24:09,400 {\an1}Only the birds that played with the tubes and toys 477 00:24:09,433 --> 00:24:13,866 {\an1}can solve this on their own. 478 00:24:13,900 --> 00:24:16,533 RIEHL: The ability to learn skills in one context, 479 00:24:16,566 --> 00:24:18,433 {\an1}then transfer them to another context, 480 00:24:18,466 --> 00:24:20,966 {\an1}is another thing that allows researchers to infer 481 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,133 {\an1}that this is a conscious process going on. 482 00:24:23,166 --> 00:24:26,633 {\an1}That these are not just instinctive behaviors, 483 00:24:26,666 --> 00:24:28,000 {\an7}that they're learning new things, 484 00:24:28,033 --> 00:24:29,500 {\an7}and that they're able to transfer this knowledge. 485 00:24:29,533 --> 00:24:32,766 ♪ 486 00:24:34,033 --> 00:24:35,933 NARRATOR: This is a similar challenge. 487 00:24:35,966 --> 00:24:38,600 {\an1}The reward is in plain sight, 488 00:24:38,633 --> 00:24:44,833 {\an1}but the tube is too long, and the food can't be reached. 489 00:24:44,866 --> 00:24:49,566 {\an1}The catch can be released by dropping a stone onto it. 490 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:52,366 {\an1}to do that, Wek is going to have to figure out 491 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:56,466 {\an1}how the catch works. 492 00:24:56,500 --> 00:25:01,166 {\an1}The researchers replace the long tube with a shorter one. 493 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:02,866 {\an1}Now Wek can reach the catch, 494 00:25:02,900 --> 00:25:09,266 {\an7}and she quickly learns how to open it with her beak. 495 00:25:09,300 --> 00:25:11,533 {\an1}When the crow experiences the short tube, 496 00:25:11,566 --> 00:25:13,100 {\an1}they can release the food 497 00:25:13,133 --> 00:25:15,333 {\an1}through their normal process, peck on something. 498 00:25:15,366 --> 00:25:16,733 {\an1}That's what crows typically do, 499 00:25:16,766 --> 00:25:20,333 {\an1}is bite or peck or probe with their beaks. 500 00:25:20,366 --> 00:25:22,333 {\an1}So they learn the relationship-- to get food, 501 00:25:22,366 --> 00:25:24,833 that lever needs to be tripped. 502 00:25:24,866 --> 00:25:29,066 NARRATOR: But once she's learned how the catch works, 503 00:25:29,100 --> 00:25:31,133 {\an1}can she figure out how to release it 504 00:25:31,166 --> 00:25:32,966 {\an1}when she can't use her beak? 505 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:39,966 ♪ 506 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,766 {\an7}Wek realizes that she can release the catch 507 00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:45,466 {\an1}by dropping the stone on it. 508 00:25:45,500 --> 00:25:48,033 {\an1}And using a stone to get food in this way 509 00:25:48,066 --> 00:25:52,733 {\an1}is not something a crow would normally do in the wild. 510 00:25:52,766 --> 00:25:55,566 RIEHL: The fact that the crow is able to take a stone 511 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:58,066 {\an7}and move the same object that that bird 512 00:25:58,100 --> 00:25:59,900 {\an1}had previously moved with its bill, 513 00:25:59,933 --> 00:26:03,133 {\an1}implies that the crow is thinking ahead 514 00:26:03,166 --> 00:26:06,033 {\an1}and visualizing the action that dropping the stone 515 00:26:06,066 --> 00:26:09,766 {\an1}will result in the same movement that its bill did. 516 00:26:12,033 --> 00:26:14,000 ♪ 517 00:26:16,500 --> 00:26:21,500 NARRATOR:Using an unfamiliar tool to getfood is a demanding mental task, 518 00:26:21,533 --> 00:26:23,566 {\an1}even for New Caledonian crows. 519 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:25,400 ♪ 520 00:26:25,433 --> 00:26:28,366 {\an1}At the Max Planck Institute in Germany, 521 00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:31,866 {\an1}the researcher sets up a puzzleto see if a crow can understand 522 00:26:31,900 --> 00:26:35,266 {\an1}how to get a reward by pulling on a hook. 523 00:26:35,300 --> 00:26:38,566 ♪ 524 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:42,733 {\an1}Two hooks are covered by a plastic sheet. 525 00:26:42,766 --> 00:26:47,066 {\an1}Only one of them contains asmall white container with food. 526 00:26:47,100 --> 00:26:52,266 {\an1}♪ 527 00:26:53,100 --> 00:26:58,266 ♪ 528 00:26:59,100 --> 00:27:02,200 ♪ 529 00:27:02,233 --> 00:27:05,200 {\an1}This crow seems to get it right away. 530 00:27:05,233 --> 00:27:07,600 {\an1}But was it a lucky guess? 531 00:27:07,633 --> 00:27:08,966 {\an1}Or was she using knowledge 532 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:12,066 {\an1}that comes from her natural environment? 533 00:27:12,100 --> 00:27:15,500 {\an1}New Caledonian crows are the only species of bird 534 00:27:15,533 --> 00:27:19,133 {\an1}that's been observed to use hook tools in the wild. 535 00:27:19,166 --> 00:27:21,933 ♪ 536 00:27:21,966 --> 00:27:24,333 {\an1}They use the stems of pandanus plants 537 00:27:24,366 --> 00:27:26,100 {\an1}to make kind of like jigsaw-bladed fish hook 538 00:27:26,133 --> 00:27:29,200 sorts of tools. 539 00:27:29,233 --> 00:27:31,333 {\an1}They'll shove that down a hole and a grub will either 540 00:27:31,366 --> 00:27:34,066 {\an1}grab onto it, or they'll actually skewer the grub. 541 00:27:34,100 --> 00:27:36,266 {\an1}They make hooks that turn to the left or to the right. 542 00:27:36,300 --> 00:27:38,166 {\an1}They use them appropriately. 543 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:41,533 ♪ 544 00:27:41,566 --> 00:27:43,566 RIEHL: What's interesting here is that it seems 545 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:45,466 {\an1}like they are able to bring this skill 546 00:27:45,500 --> 00:27:49,333 {\an1}that they use in the wild normally into a lab setting 547 00:27:49,366 --> 00:27:50,733 {\an1}that's completely unlike the environment 548 00:27:50,766 --> 00:27:52,166 {\an1}that they normally use it in. 549 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:54,466 {\an1}To a hook that isn't one that they've made themselves, 550 00:27:54,500 --> 00:27:57,866 {\an1}that in fact looks nothing likethe hooks they make themselves. 551 00:27:57,900 --> 00:27:59,200 {\an1}But is still hook-shaped. 552 00:27:59,233 --> 00:28:00,333 {\an1}And they clearly understand 553 00:28:00,366 --> 00:28:02,233 {\an1}the repercussions of that hook shape. 554 00:28:02,266 --> 00:28:04,933 (chirping) 555 00:28:04,966 --> 00:28:08,133 {\an8}NARRATOR: Crows are not only good at solving problems, 556 00:28:08,166 --> 00:28:12,166 {\an8}they're also good at negotiating complex sets of relationships, 557 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:16,800 {\an7}because they live in large groups. 558 00:28:16,833 --> 00:28:20,133 {\an7}Many scientists believe that forming social relationships 559 00:28:20,166 --> 00:28:21,200 {\an7}within big groups 560 00:28:21,233 --> 00:28:23,833 {\an7}helps drive the intelligence of animals 561 00:28:23,866 --> 00:28:26,300 {\an7}like chimps and dolphins. 562 00:28:26,333 --> 00:28:28,966 {\an8}(clicking) 563 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,733 {\an8}Can this also be true for birds? 564 00:28:32,766 --> 00:28:34,433 {\an8}RIEHL: Living in a social group is hard. 565 00:28:34,466 --> 00:28:36,000 {\an8}You have to remember alliances. 566 00:28:36,033 --> 00:28:38,100 {\an1}You have to remember friendships. 567 00:28:38,133 --> 00:28:40,533 {\an1}And so there's a hypothesis, 568 00:28:40,566 --> 00:28:42,166 {\an1}the social intelligence hypothesis, 569 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:44,333 {\an1}that proposes that the selective pressures 570 00:28:44,366 --> 00:28:45,666 {\an1}of living in these groups, 571 00:28:45,700 --> 00:28:47,133 {\an1}of having to meet all these challenges, 572 00:28:47,166 --> 00:28:50,200 {\an1}has favored the evolution of a brain 573 00:28:50,233 --> 00:28:52,566 {\an1}that can do more complex cognitive processing. 574 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:55,533 ♪ 575 00:28:55,566 --> 00:28:58,833 NARRATOR: But what happens in birds' social groups? 576 00:28:58,866 --> 00:29:00,700 {\an1}Do they learn from each other? 577 00:29:00,733 --> 00:29:02,900 ♪ 578 00:29:02,933 --> 00:29:06,233 Valerie Dufour used to study great apes. 579 00:29:06,266 --> 00:29:09,300 Now she applies some of the same methods to studying rooks, 580 00:29:09,333 --> 00:29:11,100 who are members of the crow family. 581 00:29:11,133 --> 00:29:14,966 ♪ 582 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:18,433 {\an1}She watches how they interact with each other 583 00:29:18,466 --> 00:29:21,000 {\an1}and analyzes the results. 584 00:29:21,033 --> 00:29:23,000 ♪ 585 00:29:23,033 --> 00:29:28,000 {\an1}Valerie found a social network as complex as those seen 586 00:29:28,033 --> 00:29:30,400 {\an1}in groups of monkeys and other primates, 587 00:29:30,433 --> 00:29:35,300 {\an1}with a clear structure and close friendships. 588 00:29:35,333 --> 00:29:37,100 {\an1}But how does this social structure 589 00:29:37,133 --> 00:29:39,900 {\an1}relate to intelligence? 590 00:29:39,933 --> 00:29:45,000 {\an1}Valerie puts a group of rooks toa test she's used with primates. 591 00:29:45,033 --> 00:29:49,766 {\an7}This box is... a little set up that's created to see 592 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:54,400 {\an7}whether birds can learnfrom watching each other, okay? 593 00:29:54,433 --> 00:29:58,000 {\an1}So there's two ways to open that box. 594 00:29:58,033 --> 00:30:01,433 {\an1}You can either pull on the little rope there. 595 00:30:01,466 --> 00:30:02,666 {\an1}And in that case, 596 00:30:02,700 --> 00:30:05,600 {\an1}just lift the balland they can pick up the reward 597 00:30:05,633 --> 00:30:07,233 {\an1}that's in there. 598 00:30:07,266 --> 00:30:11,466 {\an1}Or, you can just simply 599 00:30:11,500 --> 00:30:14,066 push on that box and in that case, 600 00:30:14,100 --> 00:30:17,566 {\an1}you just need to put the beakthrough and pick up the reward. 601 00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:19,866 {\an1}♪ 602 00:30:19,900 --> 00:30:23,900 NARRATOR: One bird is trained to pull the ball, 603 00:30:23,933 --> 00:30:26,866 {\an1}and half the rooks are allowed to watch. 604 00:30:26,900 --> 00:30:29,366 (cawing) 605 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:30,833 When this group tries the puzzle, 606 00:30:30,866 --> 00:30:34,933 {\an1}they all do the same thing, and pull the ball. 607 00:30:34,966 --> 00:30:38,266 ♪ 608 00:30:38,300 --> 00:30:42,633 {\an1}Meanwhile, the other half are watching a bird 609 00:30:42,666 --> 00:30:48,466 {\an1}trained to use the other solution-- to push the ball. 610 00:30:48,500 --> 00:30:51,733 {\an1}And when these birds try the puzzle, 611 00:30:51,766 --> 00:30:52,833 {\an1}they repeat what they saw-- 612 00:30:52,866 --> 00:30:57,033 {\an1}they push the ball. 613 00:30:57,066 --> 00:31:01,833 {\an1}This suggests these rookslearned how to solve the puzzle 614 00:31:01,866 --> 00:31:04,566 {\an1}by watching another bird. 615 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:07,266 {\an1}This is called social learning, 616 00:31:07,300 --> 00:31:10,866 {\an1}and it's considered very high-level thinking. 617 00:31:10,900 --> 00:31:15,866 MARZLUFF: It's certainly more advanced than an imprinted behavior. 618 00:31:15,900 --> 00:31:17,866 {\an7}It's also much more advanced than a behavior that you learn 619 00:31:17,900 --> 00:31:20,033 {\an7}by individual trial and error. 620 00:31:20,066 --> 00:31:23,700 {\an1}In this case, you're having towatch others perform a behavior, 621 00:31:23,733 --> 00:31:24,733 {\an1}and then replicate that. 622 00:31:24,766 --> 00:31:28,333 ♪ 623 00:31:28,366 --> 00:31:29,800 DUFOUR: It's new and it's exciting 624 00:31:29,833 --> 00:31:32,366 {\an1}because it's something we've known in other species 625 00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:34,366 {\an1}like in primates, for example. 626 00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:38,433 {\an1}Nobody would have guessed about the rooks or the crows 627 00:31:38,466 --> 00:31:39,800 or the ravens. 628 00:31:39,833 --> 00:31:41,600 {\an1}Nobody would have been able to say, "Yes, I expect them 629 00:31:41,633 --> 00:31:43,833 {\an1}to be able to do that"; we had no idea. 630 00:31:45,566 --> 00:31:49,933 {\an1}Social learning in crows and parrots could be a result 631 00:31:49,966 --> 00:31:51,100 {\an1}of their larger brains. 632 00:31:51,133 --> 00:31:53,433 {\an1}(cawing) 633 00:31:53,466 --> 00:31:56,666 {\an1}But what about birds with smaller brains-- 634 00:31:56,700 --> 00:31:57,966 like geese? 635 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:02,033 ♪ 636 00:32:02,066 --> 00:32:06,333 {\an1}In the same place thatKonrad Lorenz studied his geese, 637 00:32:06,366 --> 00:32:10,366 {\an1}Isabella Schieber of the University of Vienna 638 00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:12,800 {\an1}is exploring whether there's more to the goose mind 639 00:32:12,833 --> 00:32:14,333 {\an1}than basic instinct. 640 00:32:14,366 --> 00:32:15,900 ♪ 641 00:32:15,933 --> 00:32:19,133 Geese live in a clear social hierarchy. 642 00:32:19,166 --> 00:32:20,866 ♪ 643 00:32:20,900 --> 00:32:22,700 {\an1}And this experiment tests whether 644 00:32:22,733 --> 00:32:25,266 {\an1}their natural pecking order helps them figure out 645 00:32:25,300 --> 00:32:28,966 {\an1}other relationships. 646 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:32,200 (honking) 647 00:32:32,233 --> 00:32:35,033 {\an1}Isabella arranges seven cards in a row 648 00:32:35,066 --> 00:32:37,600 {\an1}and assigns a value to each one-- 649 00:32:37,633 --> 00:32:42,600 {\an1}blue being the highest, and black the lowest. 650 00:32:44,100 --> 00:32:46,900 {\an1}The geese don't see the complete row, 651 00:32:46,933 --> 00:32:50,766 {\an1}they only see one pair at a time. 652 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:51,933 {\an1}In the experiment, 653 00:32:51,966 --> 00:32:53,333 {\an1}green is higher than yellow, 654 00:32:53,366 --> 00:32:57,666 {\an1}so under the green card is a treat 655 00:32:57,700 --> 00:32:59,466 ♪ 656 00:32:59,500 --> 00:33:01,466 and the goose learns this pair. 657 00:33:01,500 --> 00:33:03,666 ♪ 658 00:33:03,700 --> 00:33:06,133 {\an1}But yellow is higher than purple, 659 00:33:06,166 --> 00:33:10,500 {\an1}so on the next round, the reward is under the yellow card. 660 00:33:10,533 --> 00:33:14,566 ♪ 661 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:17,800 Now he's been taught that green is higher than yellow, 662 00:33:17,833 --> 00:33:22,033 {\an1}and that yellow, in turn, is higher than purple. 663 00:33:22,066 --> 00:33:24,800 {\an1}Next, purple is higher than red-- 664 00:33:24,833 --> 00:33:29,433 {\an1}so now purple has the treat, 665 00:33:29,466 --> 00:33:31,400 {\an1}and so on down the row. 666 00:33:31,433 --> 00:33:34,000 ♪ 667 00:33:34,033 --> 00:33:37,966 Once the geese have learned therelative value of all the cards, 668 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:41,566 {\an1}the next stage is to seeif they can apply this knowledge 669 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:43,533 {\an1}to a harder challenge. 670 00:33:43,566 --> 00:33:46,766 ♪ 671 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:51,566 {\an1}They're shown an entirely new set of pairs, 672 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:54,266 {\an1}with no food rewards. 673 00:33:54,300 --> 00:33:58,100 ♪ 674 00:33:58,133 --> 00:34:02,866 Over and over, the geese choose the higher value card, 675 00:34:02,900 --> 00:34:06,533 {\an1}even though they never sawthe entire row all at one time. 676 00:34:06,566 --> 00:34:11,400 {\an1}♪ 677 00:34:11,433 --> 00:34:13,566 RIEHL: The ability to rank objects 678 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:17,200 {\an1}in a hierarchy is, it's a form of reasoning called inference, 679 00:34:17,233 --> 00:34:18,433 {\an1}transitive inference. 680 00:34:18,466 --> 00:34:21,866 {\an1}And it was formerly thought that only apes 681 00:34:21,900 --> 00:34:25,433 {\an1}and very sophisticated animals could do this. 682 00:34:25,466 --> 00:34:29,166 MARZLUFF: So knowing that card A is greater than card B, 683 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:32,600 and that card B is greater than card C, 684 00:34:32,633 --> 00:34:36,466 {\an1}you might be able to infer A is greater than C. 685 00:34:36,500 --> 00:34:38,866 {\an1}Well, and these birds obviously did that. 686 00:34:41,100 --> 00:34:42,733 NARRATOR: It's clear that geese, 687 00:34:42,766 --> 00:34:47,200 {\an1}despite their small brains, understand hierarchies. 688 00:34:47,233 --> 00:34:52,700 {\an1}And in their social groups, they also seem to cooperate. 689 00:34:52,733 --> 00:34:54,300 ♪ 690 00:34:54,333 --> 00:34:58,366 {\an1}When they fly in formation, they appear to work together, 691 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:02,500 {\an1}whether it's intentional or not. 692 00:35:02,533 --> 00:35:05,766 {\an1}When geese fly in formation,they gain aerodynamic benefits, 693 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:10,200 {\an1}by riding the vortex of air off of each other's wingtips. 694 00:35:10,233 --> 00:35:12,266 {\an1}There's a bit of extra lift there that they gain. 695 00:35:12,300 --> 00:35:15,000 ♪ 696 00:35:15,033 --> 00:35:18,133 {\an1}So they do switch positions as they're flying, 697 00:35:18,166 --> 00:35:19,633 {\an1}and get some assist from the other individuals. 698 00:35:19,666 --> 00:35:23,833 ♪ 699 00:35:28,233 --> 00:35:32,300 NARRATOR:So can birds actually cooperate to solve problems? 700 00:35:32,333 --> 00:35:36,433 ♪ 701 00:35:36,466 --> 00:35:39,333 {\an1}Like geese, kea parrots live in social groups 702 00:35:39,366 --> 00:35:41,133 {\an1}with complex relationships. 703 00:35:41,166 --> 00:35:44,900 ♪ 704 00:35:44,933 --> 00:35:47,633 {\an1}This experiment tests whether they can work together 705 00:35:47,666 --> 00:35:49,800 as a group. 706 00:35:49,833 --> 00:35:53,900 {\an1}No one bird can lift the lid off the food box by itself. 707 00:35:53,933 --> 00:35:59,000 ♪ 708 00:35:59,033 --> 00:36:02,566 {\an1}But if one bird sitson the other end of the see-saw, 709 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:06,366 the lid rises and the rest get to feed. 710 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:10,366 ♪ 711 00:36:12,333 --> 00:36:13,800 After a while, 712 00:36:13,833 --> 00:36:18,466 this kea parrot hops off the seat, 713 00:36:18,500 --> 00:36:19,900 {\an1}and another takes its place. 714 00:36:19,933 --> 00:36:25,100 ♪ 715 00:36:25,933 --> 00:36:31,100 ♪ 716 00:36:31,933 --> 00:36:35,100 ♪ 717 00:36:35,133 --> 00:36:39,133 Eventually, each bird gets to eat. 718 00:36:39,166 --> 00:36:40,866 ♪ 719 00:36:40,900 --> 00:36:43,933 MARZLUFF: That's a clear demonstration of cooperation, 720 00:36:43,966 --> 00:36:47,066 {\an1}where some individuals are up there opening the lid, 721 00:36:47,100 --> 00:36:48,033 {\an1}and others are feeding. 722 00:36:48,066 --> 00:36:49,400 {\an1}And then they switch off. 723 00:36:49,433 --> 00:36:52,166 {\an1}I think it shows they're all working to the same goal. 724 00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:54,033 They get to eat. 725 00:36:54,066 --> 00:36:56,700 {\an1}They're using the social group 726 00:36:56,733 --> 00:36:59,400 to attain their individual goals here. 727 00:36:59,433 --> 00:37:01,833 ♪ 728 00:37:01,866 --> 00:37:03,800 NARRATOR: This feat of cooperation 729 00:37:03,833 --> 00:37:05,200 {\an1}suggests that these birds 730 00:37:05,233 --> 00:37:09,000 {\an1}may be communicating with each other in some way. 731 00:37:09,033 --> 00:37:11,900 (cawing) 732 00:37:11,933 --> 00:37:16,000 {\an1}But can a bird communicate with a human? 733 00:37:16,033 --> 00:37:17,500 (cawing) 734 00:37:17,533 --> 00:37:19,966 {\an1}Jackdaws are members of the crow family 735 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,100 with a pair of very unusual eyes. 736 00:37:23,133 --> 00:37:25,300 ♪ 737 00:37:25,333 --> 00:37:26,766 VON BAYERN: Jackdaw eyes are quite conspicuous. 738 00:37:26,800 --> 00:37:28,666 {\an1}They are light on the outside 739 00:37:28,700 --> 00:37:29,733 {\an7}and dark in the middle, 740 00:37:29,766 --> 00:37:32,066 {\an7}so they are rather similar to our own eyes. 741 00:37:32,100 --> 00:37:37,233 {\an7}So we were interested in testing how responsive jackdaws were 742 00:37:37,266 --> 00:37:39,700 {\an1}to communicative eye signals. 743 00:37:39,733 --> 00:37:44,566 {\an1}This test was designed for a jackdaw named Dhuli. 744 00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:45,666 {\an1}(Auguste imitating Dhuli's caw) 745 00:37:45,700 --> 00:37:49,100 {\an8}Food is hidden under one of two cups. 746 00:37:49,133 --> 00:37:52,733 {\an7}Then Auguste gives Dhuli a very subtle clue-- 747 00:37:52,766 --> 00:37:57,533 she just looks at the correct cup. 748 00:37:57,566 --> 00:38:00,533 {\an1}Dhuli has to read Auguste's eye movements 749 00:38:00,566 --> 00:38:02,933 {\an1}in order to choose the right cup. 750 00:38:02,966 --> 00:38:05,066 {\an1}The gaze experiments are interesting 751 00:38:05,100 --> 00:38:06,366 {\an1}on several dimensions. 752 00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:09,600 {\an1}One, they show that a bird is very attentive 753 00:38:09,633 --> 00:38:11,833 {\an1}to the gaze of another animal, another species. 754 00:38:11,866 --> 00:38:13,500 In this case,that it's bonded with the human. 755 00:38:13,533 --> 00:38:17,333 NARRATOR: Dhuli understands that Auguste's eye signals 756 00:38:17,366 --> 00:38:20,766 {\an1}are directing her to the cup with food under it. 757 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:23,666 {\an1}She's able to grasp this form of communication. 758 00:38:23,700 --> 00:38:26,333 {\an7}But she also seems to be demonstrating 759 00:38:26,366 --> 00:38:27,800 {\an7}another cognitive ability. 760 00:38:27,833 --> 00:38:31,233 {\an1}She appears to know there's food under the cup 761 00:38:31,266 --> 00:38:33,900 {\an1}even though she can't see it. 762 00:38:33,933 --> 00:38:37,033 {\an8}This is called object permanency. 763 00:38:37,066 --> 00:38:38,900 {\an8}MARZLUFF: Object permanency is a concept 764 00:38:38,933 --> 00:38:40,900 {\an8}that humans develop when they're three or four years old. 765 00:38:40,933 --> 00:38:43,933 {\an1}They can understand thata hidden object is still there. 766 00:38:43,966 --> 00:38:47,866 {\an1}And so for birds to be able to demonstrate this 767 00:38:47,900 --> 00:38:49,000 {\an1}has been profound, 768 00:38:49,033 --> 00:38:50,800 {\an1}and, again, suggests to us 769 00:38:50,833 --> 00:38:53,900 that these birds have those abilities 770 00:38:53,933 --> 00:38:56,166 {\an1}that a young human would too. 771 00:38:56,200 --> 00:39:02,366 {\an8}NARRATOR:But some tests are really hard-- even for young humans. 772 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:06,866 {\an8}Like this one involving chocolates. 773 00:39:06,900 --> 00:39:10,433 {\an8}These children are given one chocolate 774 00:39:10,466 --> 00:39:12,566 {\an7}and their mothers explain that they can either 775 00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:15,700 {\an7}eat that chocolate now, or not eat it, 776 00:39:15,733 --> 00:39:20,733 {\an7}wait for five minutes and be rewarded with two chocolates. 777 00:39:20,766 --> 00:39:26,066 {\an8}♪ 778 00:39:26,100 --> 00:39:28,966 {\an7}Understanding a trade-off and planning for the future 779 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:30,266 {\an7}is a kind of reasoning 780 00:39:30,300 --> 00:39:32,666 {\an7}that doesn't develop in children 781 00:39:32,700 --> 00:39:35,166 until they're three or four years old. 782 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:39,733 {\an1}So it's very hard for them to wait. 783 00:39:39,766 --> 00:39:44,433 {\an7}For those that try to wait, five minutes is a long time 784 00:39:44,466 --> 00:39:46,666 with a chocolate right in front of them. 785 00:39:46,700 --> 00:39:51,100 ♪ 786 00:39:51,133 --> 00:39:54,466 {\an1}They try ignoring it. 787 00:39:54,500 --> 00:39:58,500 {\an1}Or distracting themselves. 788 00:39:58,533 --> 00:40:03,700 ♪ 789 00:40:04,533 --> 00:40:05,766 ♪ 790 00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:08,633 {\an1}Or even bending the rules. 791 00:40:08,666 --> 00:40:13,833 ♪ 792 00:40:14,666 --> 00:40:19,833 ♪ 793 00:40:20,666 --> 00:40:25,833 ♪ 794 00:40:27,233 --> 00:40:29,666 (whispering): Don't eat the chocolate. 795 00:40:29,700 --> 00:40:32,700 {\an8}NARRATOR: At last, the time is up, 796 00:40:32,733 --> 00:40:36,033 {\an7}and here's their reward: two chocolates. 797 00:40:36,066 --> 00:40:37,633 ♪ 798 00:40:37,666 --> 00:40:40,366 {\an7}I-- watch what I can do. 799 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:43,166 {\an8}NARRATOR: Being able to delay gratification-- 800 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:46,400 {\an1}trade something now forsomething better in the future-- 801 00:40:46,433 --> 00:40:48,400 {\an1}is a key developmental milestone in children. 802 00:40:48,433 --> 00:40:52,100 ♪ 803 00:40:52,133 --> 00:40:56,466 But can a raven do something similar? 804 00:40:56,500 --> 00:40:58,433 ♪ 805 00:40:58,466 --> 00:40:59,866 This is Rumo. 806 00:40:59,900 --> 00:41:03,266 He likes bread, but he prefers cheese. 807 00:41:03,300 --> 00:41:06,100 ♪ 808 00:41:06,133 --> 00:41:09,333 {\an1}Can he learn to wait for the treat he likes better? 809 00:41:09,366 --> 00:41:11,233 ♪ 810 00:41:11,266 --> 00:41:13,800 It's called a delayed exchange test. 811 00:41:13,833 --> 00:41:15,900 ♪ 812 00:41:15,933 --> 00:41:18,000 DUFOUR: The exchange is a little bit complicated 813 00:41:18,033 --> 00:41:20,533 {\an7}because it involves two main difficulties. 814 00:41:20,566 --> 00:41:23,566 {\an7}First, you have something in your possession, 815 00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:25,200 {\an7}so you possess something. 816 00:41:25,233 --> 00:41:26,633 {\an1}It might be valuable, 817 00:41:26,666 --> 00:41:27,866 {\an1}so obviously you want to keep it. 818 00:41:27,900 --> 00:41:31,266 {\an1}And you have to accept to lose it 819 00:41:31,300 --> 00:41:34,400 {\an1}to get something better in return, 820 00:41:34,433 --> 00:41:36,166 {\an1}and you have to wait a little bit. 821 00:41:36,200 --> 00:41:37,333 {\an1}And that's very difficult. 822 00:41:37,366 --> 00:41:38,900 ♪ 823 00:41:38,933 --> 00:41:42,333 NARRATOR: First, Rumo is taught that he can trade his bread 824 00:41:42,366 --> 00:41:44,333 for some cheese. 825 00:41:44,366 --> 00:41:45,700 {\an1}But then, he has to wait. 826 00:41:45,733 --> 00:41:50,033 ♪ 827 00:41:50,066 --> 00:41:51,933 Sometimes Rumo drops the bread, 828 00:41:51,966 --> 00:41:54,766 perhaps as a way to make waiting easier. 829 00:41:54,800 --> 00:41:59,966 ♪ 830 00:42:06,833 --> 00:42:09,466 {\an1}And the more Rumo likes a particular food, 831 00:42:09,500 --> 00:42:11,133 {\an1}the longer he will wait. 832 00:42:11,166 --> 00:42:15,100 ♪ 833 00:42:15,133 --> 00:42:18,333 {\an1}Sometimes he'll go for several minutes 834 00:42:18,366 --> 00:42:20,100 {\an1}before he exchanges bread for cheese. 835 00:42:20,133 --> 00:42:26,200 ♪ 836 00:42:26,233 --> 00:42:29,300 {\an1}But if the food on offer is one he doesn't like-- 837 00:42:29,333 --> 00:42:32,466 {\an1}like a grape-- he won't wait. 838 00:42:32,500 --> 00:42:36,066 {\an1}He just eats the bread. 839 00:42:36,100 --> 00:42:40,400 {\an1}Mastering a delayed exchange had been documented in chimps, 840 00:42:40,433 --> 00:42:44,700 {\an1}but never before in crows. 841 00:42:44,733 --> 00:42:47,566 MARZLUFF:The ability of these animals to wait up to five or six minutes 842 00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:50,366 {\an7}implies a couple of things. 843 00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:52,000 {\an7}One, they're making a tradeoff, 844 00:42:52,033 --> 00:42:54,366 {\an7}a very sophisticated calculation. 845 00:42:54,400 --> 00:42:56,100 {\an1}"I'm going to get something better if I wait 846 00:42:56,133 --> 00:42:57,500 {\an1}this amount of time." 847 00:42:57,533 --> 00:42:59,866 {\an1}And that's a difficult mental process. 848 00:42:59,900 --> 00:43:02,066 It clearly shows they're planning ahead, 849 00:43:02,100 --> 00:43:04,566 {\an1}because they're calculating that tradeoff. 850 00:43:04,600 --> 00:43:06,966 ♪ 851 00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:09,233 NARRATOR: Another way many birds plan ahead 852 00:43:09,266 --> 00:43:12,200 {\an1}is that when they have more food than they can eat, 853 00:43:12,233 --> 00:43:15,400 they hide it and return to it later. 854 00:43:15,433 --> 00:43:19,933 {\an1}Rumo does the same-- as do most crows. 855 00:43:19,966 --> 00:43:22,033 RIEHL: Many crows and many jays-- 856 00:43:22,066 --> 00:43:23,633 {\an1}which are also members of the crow family-- 857 00:43:23,666 --> 00:43:24,866 {\an8}hide food. 858 00:43:24,900 --> 00:43:26,066 {\an8}And they come back to it later. 859 00:43:26,100 --> 00:43:27,233 {\an7}It's called caching. 860 00:43:27,266 --> 00:43:28,766 {\an7}And it's a really complicated behavior, 861 00:43:28,800 --> 00:43:30,000 {\an1}and it's really challenging, 862 00:43:30,033 --> 00:43:31,766 {\an1}because they have to remember the locations 863 00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:35,166 {\an1}of dozens or hundreds of spots where they've hidden food. 864 00:43:35,200 --> 00:43:37,100 {\an1}And they might even have to remember 865 00:43:37,133 --> 00:43:39,766 {\an1}things like whether another individual was watching them 866 00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:40,933 {\an1}when they hid it, 867 00:43:40,966 --> 00:43:42,866 {\an1}and whether another individual might steal it. 868 00:43:42,900 --> 00:43:46,600 ♪ 869 00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:53,800 NARRATOR: Ravens will also hide thingsthat they can't eat-- like toys. 870 00:43:53,833 --> 00:43:56,666 ♪ 871 00:44:01,366 --> 00:44:04,166 {\an1}So can they learn if a person watching them 872 00:44:04,200 --> 00:44:06,033 {\an1}is likely to steal their treasure? 873 00:44:06,066 --> 00:44:08,833 ♪ 874 00:44:08,866 --> 00:44:12,733 Two researchers watch the ravens hide their toys. 875 00:44:12,766 --> 00:44:16,200 ♪ 876 00:44:16,233 --> 00:44:19,566 {\an1}And the ravens know they're being watched. 877 00:44:19,600 --> 00:44:25,133 ♪ 878 00:44:25,166 --> 00:44:29,033 {\an1}One of the researchers goes into the aviary, 879 00:44:29,066 --> 00:44:31,666 {\an1}in full view of the raven. 880 00:44:31,700 --> 00:44:33,933 {\an1}She approaches the hiding place. 881 00:44:33,966 --> 00:44:37,366 ♪ 882 00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:43,233 {\an1}She looks at the toy, but leaves it where it is. 883 00:44:43,266 --> 00:44:46,566 ♪ 884 00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:50,866 {\an1}The second researcher goes into the aviary, 885 00:44:50,900 --> 00:44:53,566 ♪ 886 00:44:53,600 --> 00:44:55,666 {\an1}but she is a thief. 887 00:44:55,700 --> 00:45:00,933 ♪ 888 00:45:01,766 --> 00:45:05,700 ♪ 889 00:45:05,733 --> 00:45:09,300 (cawing) 890 00:45:09,333 --> 00:45:11,800 ♪ 891 00:45:11,833 --> 00:45:16,166 {\an8}The next time the ravens are given food, 892 00:45:16,200 --> 00:45:19,066 they're watched by the honest researcher, 893 00:45:19,100 --> 00:45:22,733 {\an1}and they hide the food in plain view. 894 00:45:22,766 --> 00:45:24,466 ♪ 895 00:45:24,500 --> 00:45:28,666 But when the thief watches them, 896 00:45:28,700 --> 00:45:29,900 {\an1}the ravens hide their food 897 00:45:29,933 --> 00:45:32,833 {\an1}in a part of the aviary out of her sight. 898 00:45:32,866 --> 00:45:35,033 MARZLUFF: I think, in their brain, they are learning 899 00:45:35,066 --> 00:45:37,700 {\an1}the association between one individual 900 00:45:37,733 --> 00:45:39,366 {\an1}and a benign task, let's say, 901 00:45:39,400 --> 00:45:41,366 {\an1}they don't bother the cache. They don't take it. 902 00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:43,433 {\an1}And with another individual, they're learning 903 00:45:43,466 --> 00:45:45,266 that this is a dangerous individual. 904 00:45:45,300 --> 00:45:49,533 {\an1}It takes things of mine. 905 00:45:49,566 --> 00:45:51,866 ♪ 906 00:45:51,900 --> 00:45:54,866 NARRATOR: John Marzluff has done his own experiments 907 00:45:54,900 --> 00:45:56,766 {\an1}to see if crows can recognize 908 00:45:56,800 --> 00:46:00,000 {\an1}the face of a person who's a threat. 909 00:46:00,033 --> 00:46:02,933 {\an1}He and his team at the University of Washington 910 00:46:02,966 --> 00:46:06,233 went undercover to test the birds' reactions 911 00:46:06,266 --> 00:46:09,066 {\an1}to being caught and tagged. 912 00:46:09,100 --> 00:46:11,666 {\an1}When we first captured birds we were wearing this mask. 913 00:46:11,700 --> 00:46:14,066 {\an1}So the birds that were immobile under a net 914 00:46:14,100 --> 00:46:16,833 saw this person coming to them, grabbing them, 915 00:46:16,866 --> 00:46:19,233 {\an1}stretching out their wings to measure them, 916 00:46:19,266 --> 00:46:22,466 {\an1}applying rings to their legs to identify them, 917 00:46:22,500 --> 00:46:24,200 {\an1}and then letting them go. 918 00:46:24,233 --> 00:46:29,766 NARRATOR: Crows don't like being caught, even when they're unharmed. 919 00:46:29,800 --> 00:46:32,300 {\an1}So the question was would they remember 920 00:46:32,333 --> 00:46:34,533 {\an1}that the masked man was a threat? 921 00:46:34,566 --> 00:46:35,833 ♪ 922 00:46:35,866 --> 00:46:37,833 A few days after the initial tagging, 923 00:46:37,866 --> 00:46:41,433 {\an1}Marzluff walked across the campus again. 924 00:46:41,466 --> 00:46:44,600 {\an1}He kept the mask on, but he left the crows alone, 925 00:46:44,633 --> 00:46:47,233 {\an1}to see if he'd get any response. 926 00:46:47,266 --> 00:46:49,266 (cawing) 927 00:46:49,300 --> 00:46:50,566 ♪ 928 00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:51,833 MARZLUFF: It was very striking. 929 00:46:51,866 --> 00:46:53,833 The first time after we did this experiment, 930 00:46:53,866 --> 00:46:56,200 and we walked with the caveman mask, 931 00:46:56,233 --> 00:46:59,800 {\an1}the birds immediately responded to that. 932 00:46:59,833 --> 00:47:01,166 (cawing) 933 00:47:01,200 --> 00:47:02,533 {\an1}They scolded with harsh calls 934 00:47:02,566 --> 00:47:04,333 {\an1}that are indicative of a predator. 935 00:47:04,366 --> 00:47:07,400 (cawing) 936 00:47:07,433 --> 00:47:08,666 {\an1}And they gathered around us. 937 00:47:08,700 --> 00:47:09,733 {\an1}They attracted others in. 938 00:47:09,766 --> 00:47:11,733 {\an1}And they would even dive down at us. 939 00:47:11,766 --> 00:47:14,766 (cawing) 940 00:47:14,800 --> 00:47:17,500 {\an1}Marzluff discovered that the crows 941 00:47:17,533 --> 00:47:19,000 {\an1}were somehow telling each other 942 00:47:19,033 --> 00:47:21,633 {\an1}that the person in the caveman mask was dangerous. 943 00:47:21,666 --> 00:47:25,700 (cawing) 944 00:47:25,733 --> 00:47:28,333 {\an1}And what's more amazing, even though the team 945 00:47:28,366 --> 00:47:31,133 {\an1}never again caught crows with the mask on, 946 00:47:31,166 --> 00:47:33,066 {\an1}that reaction has been passed down 947 00:47:33,100 --> 00:47:37,333 {\an1}through several generations. 948 00:47:37,366 --> 00:47:39,800 {\an1}It's been 11 years since we caught seven birds 949 00:47:39,833 --> 00:47:41,900 {\an1}on our campus with this mask. 950 00:47:41,933 --> 00:47:45,266 {\an1}And nearly half of all the birds we encounter on a given day 951 00:47:45,300 --> 00:47:46,733 {\an1}respond strongly to that face. 952 00:47:46,766 --> 00:47:48,733 (cawing) 953 00:47:48,766 --> 00:47:50,533 {\an1}Even though they weren't even born at the time 954 00:47:50,566 --> 00:47:52,000 {\an1}we first did our capture. 955 00:47:52,033 --> 00:47:55,633 {\an1}The only experience they have with that caveman is hearsay. 956 00:47:55,666 --> 00:47:57,666 ♪ 957 00:47:57,700 --> 00:48:01,866 {\an1}Now, Marzluff is studying another remarkable behavior. 958 00:48:01,900 --> 00:48:05,166 {\an7}It's called a crow funeral. 959 00:48:05,200 --> 00:48:08,766 {\an7}His team puts a decoy that looks like a dead crow 960 00:48:08,800 --> 00:48:11,033 on the sidewalk, 961 00:48:11,066 --> 00:48:13,366 (cawing) 962 00:48:13,400 --> 00:48:16,200 {\an1}and within just a few minutes, 963 00:48:16,233 --> 00:48:19,433 {\an1}the trees are filled with screeching crows. 964 00:48:19,466 --> 00:48:24,800 (cawing) 965 00:48:24,833 --> 00:48:28,033 {\an1}Marzluff showed the crows a similar decoy in the lab 966 00:48:28,066 --> 00:48:29,733 {\an1}and brain scans reveal 967 00:48:29,766 --> 00:48:32,166 {\an1}that they're activating their memory centers. 968 00:48:32,200 --> 00:48:34,733 ♪ 969 00:48:34,766 --> 00:48:39,866 {\an1}But are these memories also linked to emotion? 970 00:48:39,900 --> 00:48:41,533 (cawing) 971 00:48:41,566 --> 00:48:43,833 MARZLUFF: I think birds do feel emotion. 972 00:48:43,866 --> 00:48:46,400 {\an1}Maybe not exactly like we do. 973 00:48:46,433 --> 00:48:49,200 (cawing) 974 00:48:49,233 --> 00:48:50,933 But they've got the parts of the brain 975 00:48:50,966 --> 00:48:54,700 {\an1}that cause us to feel calm or anxious or fearful. 976 00:48:54,733 --> 00:48:56,433 {\an1}And those feelings in us 977 00:48:56,466 --> 00:48:59,600 {\an1}are motivated by chemicalsthat are released in the brain. 978 00:48:59,633 --> 00:49:01,333 {\an1}And birds have those same chemicals. 979 00:49:01,366 --> 00:49:03,833 ♪ 980 00:49:03,866 --> 00:49:05,566 {\an1}So I think it would be unusual if they don't. 981 00:49:09,166 --> 00:49:12,400 NARRATOR: Emotion in birds is being studied 982 00:49:12,433 --> 00:49:15,733 by scientists around the world. 983 00:49:15,766 --> 00:49:19,000 {\an1}In one example, researchersnoticed that a distressed raven 984 00:49:19,033 --> 00:49:22,233 {\an1}appears to be comforted by a close friend. 985 00:49:22,266 --> 00:49:23,266 (cawing) 986 00:49:23,300 --> 00:49:25,833 {\an1}This raises the possibility 987 00:49:25,866 --> 00:49:31,033 {\an1}that ravens might understand what other ravens are feeling. 988 00:49:31,066 --> 00:49:33,800 {\an1}This is called theory of mind, 989 00:49:33,833 --> 00:49:36,000 and it might be the next frontier 990 00:49:36,033 --> 00:49:39,133 in understanding how birds think. 991 00:49:39,166 --> 00:49:41,300 (cawing) 992 00:49:41,333 --> 00:49:46,466 RIEHL:Theory of mind is the hypothesis that animals are capable 993 00:49:46,500 --> 00:49:48,266 {\an1}of mentally putting themselves 994 00:49:48,300 --> 00:49:50,633 {\an1}in the perspective of other animals. 995 00:49:50,666 --> 00:49:51,700 {\an1}Humans can do this. 996 00:49:51,733 --> 00:49:52,800 {\an1}We empathize with each other. 997 00:49:52,833 --> 00:49:55,333 {\an1}And so the question is: can birds do this? 998 00:49:55,366 --> 00:49:58,133 {\an1}Do birds have theory of mind? 999 00:49:58,166 --> 00:49:59,500 ♪ 1000 00:49:59,533 --> 00:50:01,966 It's hard to know whether birds feel emotions 1001 00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:03,266 in the same way that people do, 1002 00:50:03,300 --> 00:50:05,366 {\an1}because we can't ask them how they're feeling. 1003 00:50:05,400 --> 00:50:08,900 {\an1}But we know that birds get upset. 1004 00:50:08,933 --> 00:50:11,966 {\an1}We know that they're happy. 1005 00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:14,766 {\an1}And so the simplest explanation is that their emotions 1006 00:50:14,800 --> 00:50:16,500 {\an1}are probably quite similar to ours. 1007 00:50:16,533 --> 00:50:19,633 ♪ 1008 00:50:19,666 --> 00:50:23,433 NARRATOR: Lloyd Buck would agree with that. 1009 00:50:23,466 --> 00:50:25,400 {\an1}When Lloyd's been away for a few days, 1010 00:50:25,433 --> 00:50:28,033 {\an1}Bran is excited to see him back. 1011 00:50:28,066 --> 00:50:30,866 {\an1}Then he gets angry with Lloyd. 1012 00:50:30,900 --> 00:50:33,200 {\an1}Yes, you're cross, aren't you,because I left you? 1013 00:50:33,233 --> 00:50:34,433 {\an1}I left you, eh? 1014 00:50:34,466 --> 00:50:37,833 {\an1}You haven't seen mefor two days, have you? 1015 00:50:37,866 --> 00:50:40,333 {\an1}You haven't seen mefor two days and you're angry. 1016 00:50:40,366 --> 00:50:42,533 ♪ 1017 00:50:42,566 --> 00:50:46,700 NARRATOR: But eventually Bran takes hold of Lloyd's finger 1018 00:50:46,733 --> 00:50:48,933 {\an1}and won't let go. 1019 00:50:48,966 --> 00:50:51,200 {\an1}We've made up now,we're friends again, eh? 1020 00:50:51,233 --> 00:50:52,700 {\an1}We're friends again. 1021 00:50:52,733 --> 00:50:57,200 NARRATOR: This can sometimes go onfor an hour before Bran lets go. 1022 00:50:57,233 --> 00:50:59,333 You've been a good boy. 1023 00:50:59,366 --> 00:51:01,800 NARRATOR: Finally, Lloyd is forgiven. 1024 00:51:01,833 --> 00:51:04,000 ♪ 1025 00:51:04,033 --> 00:51:05,966 Calming down now, yeah? 1026 00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:06,933 Yes? 1027 00:51:06,966 --> 00:51:09,200 ♪ 1028 00:51:09,233 --> 00:51:11,966 {\an1}Scientists once believed 1029 00:51:12,000 --> 00:51:15,833 {\an1}that birds were driven by pure instinct. 1030 00:51:15,866 --> 00:51:18,133 Now it's clear that at least some species 1031 00:51:18,166 --> 00:51:20,466 {\an1}are not only intelligent, 1032 00:51:20,500 --> 00:51:24,266 {\an1}but may be emotional too. 1033 00:51:24,300 --> 00:51:27,700 {\an1}Just how much their minds 1034 00:51:27,733 --> 00:51:29,633 resemble our own 1035 00:51:29,666 --> 00:51:31,966 is the next question to explore. 1036 00:51:32,000 --> 00:51:34,200 RIEHL: You can explain a lot of animals' actions 1037 00:51:34,233 --> 00:51:35,466 {\an1}through instinctive behaviors 1038 00:51:35,500 --> 00:51:39,233 {\an1}that don't require a lot of conscious thinking. 1039 00:51:39,266 --> 00:51:40,833 {\an1}But now it's become harder and harder 1040 00:51:40,866 --> 00:51:42,666 {\an1}to ignore the evidence that birds 1041 00:51:42,700 --> 00:51:46,533 {\an1}are capable of solving problems, 1042 00:51:46,566 --> 00:51:48,900 {\an1}of making friendships, 1043 00:51:48,933 --> 00:51:51,766 of learning, 1044 00:51:51,800 --> 00:51:53,066 {\an1}of putting themselves 1045 00:51:53,100 --> 00:51:55,866 {\an1}into the experiences of other animals. 1046 00:51:55,900 --> 00:51:58,366 ♪ 1047 00:51:58,400 --> 00:51:59,966 {\an1}And I think we're starting to realize 1048 00:52:00,000 --> 00:52:01,966 {\an1}that the simplest explanation may not be 1049 00:52:02,000 --> 00:52:05,066 {\an1}that they're automatons. 1050 00:52:05,100 --> 00:52:07,900 {\an1}The simplest explanation may be that they're seeing the world 1051 00:52:07,933 --> 00:52:09,666 {\an1}in much the same way that we do. 1052 00:52:09,700 --> 00:52:13,866 ♪ 1053 00:52:34,866 --> 00:52:40,333 {\an8}♪ 1054 00:52:48,566 --> 00:52:51,200 {\an7}To order this program on DVD, 1055 00:52:51,233 --> 00:52:56,533 {\an8}visit ShopPBS or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS. 1056 00:52:56,566 --> 00:52:59,200 {\an8}Episodes of "NOVA" are available with Passport. 1057 00:52:59,233 --> 00:53:01,933 {\an7}"NOVA" is also available on Amazon Prime Video. 1058 00:53:01,966 --> 00:53:07,400 {\an8}♪