Mirror, mirror, on the wall

Birdorable Magpie looking in a mirror

Scientists at the Goethe University in Frankfurt have been studying European Magpies to prove that these smart birds are not bird-brained. It is widely accepted that self-awareness is a prerequisite for the development of consciousness. Besides humans, there had already been evidence that bottlenose dolphins, other apes and elephants have the capability to be self aware. Now magpies can be added to the list. The researchers used a series of tests to determine if their hand-raised birds could recognize themselves in a mirror.

They placed yellow and red stickers on the birds in places where they could only be seen in a mirror. The magpies became focused on removing the stickers after seeing them in the mirror and tried to scratch them off with their claws and beaks. After removing the sticker they would stop this behavior. The researchers also found that the birds would ignore the stickers if they were placed where they could not see them in the mirror or when the stickers were black in color. Here's a short video of the magpie and the mirror:

Cute Magpie Gifts

Comments

Ashira on August 26, 2008 at 6:11 PM wrote:
That is really fascinating! What clever birds. :3
SV-001/R on August 28, 2008 at 8:39 AM wrote:
I feel proud this clever birds are our national bird. (I'm a South Korean.)
jibi on August 28, 2008 at 4:26 PM wrote:
who agrees with me that birds are smarter than dogs?
Harpy Eagle on July 4, 2017 at 10:21 PM wrote:
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the smartest of them all?" "European Magpie!"
Spurwing Plover on October 18, 2020 at 6:56 AM wrote:
Only after he looked int the mirror did he realized he had been turned into a Magpie and said to himself HEY I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A BIRD

Leave a comment

Comments with links or HTML will be deleted. Your comment will be published pending approval.
Your email address will not be published

2023 Bonanza Bird: African Openbill

Today we continue our 2023 Birdorable Bonanza with the introduction of a unique species of stork found in parts of Africa. It's the African Openbill! The African Openbill is certainly most notable for its namesake bill, which features a gap -- even when closed! This specialized beak is not...

Birdorable Cocks-of-the-Rock in Peru!

We at Birdorable are proud to have provided use of our cute Andean Cock-of-the-rock image to The Field Museum's 24th rapid inventory team that traveled to the Kampankis mountains of...

Bonanza Bird #17: Roadside Hawk

Just two more days -- we've almost reached the end of Birdorable Bonanza 2011. Today's new bird species is the Roadside Hawk!

T-Shirt Tuesday: Vulture Week Edition

We're celebrating Vulture Week because this Saturday, September 5th, marks International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD). This commemorative day has been celebrated since at least 2009 and aims to highlight the importance of vultures and vulture conservation through education. We're excited to offer several new apparel styles via our...