For You Tee-Cee!

Since birds seem to be your forte'...I thought you might enjoy this http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090806/ap_on_sc/us_sci_aesop_s_crows Actually, that's pretty darn smart for a bird to figure that out!!

 

Thank you, Stubby, that is very interesting, and yes, birds are so smart, it is sometimes almost scary!! :-D I have one that will come right to me, sit on my shoulder, and IF I have on a hat, she will sit on my head. If I don't have on a hat, she will stay on my shoulder or hand... Very intelligent birds, for sure..

I also think crows are very intelligent.. They are quite smart around here, and I have seen that for myself... When hunting season comes, it must be the dampness in the air, they are just waiting, for someone to shoot, because once a shot does ring out, off they go... They know they will find something to eat... Very cool article!

 

Isn't that amazing, and it was thought man was the only species to use tools.

 

Hi Darlene, yes, very amazing, a lot of birds do ... I am just facinated by them myself... Very cool...

 

The great thing about this story of course, is that the expriment was carried out by Christopher Bird. Shame his first name wasn't Robin.

 

For the poor worm "Nevermore".

 

It was a beautiful article, and I don't care for worms anyway!:-D

 

Okay TeeCee, I can agree that MOST birds are smart, but I think our 8 month old 'Pocket Parrot' missed that calling and maybe you can explain his actions. I usually let him out of his cage for about 2 hours a day to get some exercise and when he's ready to go back in he'll fly to my shoulder. Tonight, however, I think he lost his marbles!! I left a Mt. Dew can on the kitchen counter and when he saw it, he went nuts!! He flew to it, stood in front of it and started to bob his head and screech at it. Then he kept walking around it and pecking at it screaming like a banshee!! I don't know what he was saying, but something tells me it wasn't too nice. After about 10 minutes of this I put my hand down to him so he could jump on, like he usually does. Instead, he pecked the crap out of me:cry To make a long story short, while I was keeping 'Blue' busy my wife throw the can away and when he saw it wasn't there anymore, he went back to normal! What made this bird fall in love with a Mt. Dew can? According to the breeder, Pocket Parrots have a life expectancy of 25 years!! So does that mean I have to go without another Mt. Dew for the next 24 years and 4 months:confused

 

LOL Stubby, May I ask, what color he it? Several possibilities, one, he may have seen his reflection in the can, and went berserk to defend his territory, or, he just flat out doesn't like Mt. Dew! roflmao!

Seriously, he may have even thought his reflection was a girl bird, and was doing a mating dance... My males do that.. the hens just stand and watch.rolleyes

If your bird i s green, he may have seen that can as a threat....

No, you don't have to go without your "Dew fix", but I would suggest a can holder, and preferably not green... Hope this helps

 

No, he's blue with a tinge of grey and he is a pretty little thing. If it was a mating dance, man have I got news for that little bird. He's only 8 months old and I will NOT have him fly off to a secret place to have an affair with a Mt. Dew can!!:-D I have to draw the line somewhere

One more question, why do they put those little metal bands around the leg of 'exotic' birds? I often wondered that:confused Thanks!!!

 

We had parakeets when I was growing up and that is exactly about right about the reflection and the fact the can was green which a lot of parrots are. Our's would dance for hours on end in the mirror, peck the heck out of it chirp real soft then go all off the wall.:-D What it is the parrot isn't sure whether the "Other" bird(reflection)is a male or female so they try mating and when the "other" mocks him/her they get mad and try to attack the "other" bird. This is what was told to us from bird shops that we bought from. 'Ya gota' watch dem litle' critters they'll turn on ya just like the dog." LOL But ya gotta love them.

 

The can was seen by your little dickie bird as a threat, food or a mate. So he was preparing to fight it, eat it or roger it.

Much has been discovered about birds by watching and counting them, but such methods rarely allow birds to be identified as individuals. This is essential if we are to learn about how long they live and when and where they move, questions that are vital for bird conservation. Placing a lightweight, uniquely numbered, metal ring around a bird’s leg provides a reliable and harmless method of identifying birds as individuals. Each ring also has an address so that anyone finding a ringed bird can help by reporting where and when it was found and what happened to it.

Hope that helps, Stubby. Pigeons are also ringed for id as many can be lost whilst flying them. These birds can be uber expensive. But I don't think the more expensive ones fly, they are used exclusively for breeding.

 

Thanks TeeCee and Joey for your posts. Now that I know one of the purposes for that band is (getting lost) if that little joker wakes me up again at 6:30 AM I'm going to open the front door and see how long it takes for someone to return him:-D On second thought, I couldn't do that to the little guy...there are too many Hawks around here. He may win over a Mt. Dew can, but I wouldn't give him a very good chance against a Hawk!

As for the mating part, well I guess birds are ALOT like humans. I mean, men do some real stupid stuff to impress a woman while the woman stands by, watches and thinks to herself.."What is that damn fool doing!!"roflmao Why is it that the male of almost all species is the one that has to make a fool of himself just to impress a female?? Oh well, another one of lifes unanswered questions, I guess:confused

 

Oh, Stubby! JOTS is right about the bands, they are for ID, and they have a unique number and or letters on them... That band will ID that bird, and where he came from, and should you decide to breed him later on, you sure wouldn't want his sister roflmao!

Also, your guy is 8 months, I don't' know at what age they mature, but he may be at that age of a teenager? Why not get him a mirror? Check out the pet shops, or wally-world... in the bird section... They have these teeny little mirrors for them , and that might keep him occupied for a while, and even be entertaining... He doesn't know what he looks like, and will see himself as another bird... Like bigtrucks said, it could be interesting.... Don't leave it in all the time, but once in a while, hang it in his cage, and see...

JOTS is also right about the pigeon's too.... The expensive ones don't fly races, they are reserved for breeding..

I think the mirror would give him and you some entertainment anyway

 

Okay TeeCee, I took your advice and bought a mirror for 'Blue.' That bird is a trip!! When I first put it in, he just froze and stared at it. After a few minutes he went bonkers!! He'd run up to it, peck at it and then run back again. I don't think 'Blue' is all that brave:-D That went on for the better part of the day. I left and when I came back he was sitting, staring at himself and making a really soft chiriping sound. I guess he figured that he can't beat it and it wouldn't go away, so why not try to be friends with it!! It was really cute.

Now, only one problem, of course. You said not to leave the mirror in all the time right? Well, if you're that brave TeeCee, you come over here and TRY to take that mirror out:-D It was time for him to get out and get some exercise, but he wouldn't come out. So, trying to follow my 'friend's' advice, I tried to take the mirror out and all hell broke loose!! He pecked the heck out of me, and squaking like, like, well like a parrot that wanted to keep his mirror:-D Needless to say, he still has his mirrorroflmao

 

Hi there, Stubby! roflmao! OK, glad you took my advice.. Now your son's bird is not lonely, and he has a friend! That is OK if he wants to keep his "friend" with him, then just let him... Don't upset the little guy, I just thought it would be too much too quick if you left it in, but hey, he LIKES it, so let him have his little buddy... :-D

Oh, I am brave enough, if I were to take it out, I would do it at night, and then let him come out of the cage in the morning and play with his buddy Oh, that would make a great video! roflmao

Sounds like you got your "Dew" back, eh? roflmao!

 

The bird that amazes are the nut cracker birds native to Yellowstone park,in a year they will find and bury something like 30,000 nuts or seeds over hundreds of square miles and about 9 months later remember where 70-80% of them are buried.

http://www.backyardnature.net/birdmmry.htm

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/422799/nutcracker

 

That is quite fascinating..... we have nuthatches, and I like to call them the "upside-down-bird" because they go up and down a tree upside down, but they also hide sunflower seeds too... Quite interesting..... :major

 

That is interesting! I have never heard of a bird like that. The fact that after 9 months, it can go back and find 80% of the food it buried is amazing. Mother Nature sure does take of Her own I'm just glad that I'm not one of those birds because I would undoubtly starve to death! My 'hippocampus' has shrunk to near nothingness and I can't even remember what happened yesterday, let alone 9 months ago:-D