I was out earlier this morning running a couple of errands, pulled up at a stop light at a busy intersection and noticed a momma black bird standing at the corner between the sidewalk and the curb with a mouth full of twigs. As I watched her she looked right then looked left and turned her head watching a car drive passed her. She looked left again and again turned her head as she watched the passing car. When she looked to the left again there were no cars coming so she took off, flew across the street to the tree where she was building her nest. Now was she mimicking humans who had stood there waiting to cross the street watching the cars drive by....or did she learn that from watching her less smart bird friends get hit by cars?
An interesting observation. According to some, crows have been known to place nuts in front of cars stopped at a traffic light to have them cracked open by tires on the next green light. They retrieve the nut when the light again turns red. I have watched them play games in pine trees. They recognize individual people, use tools and build decoy nests. Then there were the two talking Magpies on the TV commercial.....but I think they were coached. Jerry
I have been a bird lover forever & have trained quite a few of them. Birds, especially parrots, are so smart it's almost scary. They can read your body language & if you plan to succeed in training them, you'd better be sensitive to their's. I think all birds are very under-rated in the intelligence category.... otherwise, why would we humans call one another "birdbrain"!! That was a very good mommy-bird you watched, toni.
