Parrot in captivity manufactures tools, something not seen in the wild(arstechnica.com)
arstechnica.com
Parrot in captivity manufactures tools, something not seen in the wild
http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/11/parrot-in-captivity-manufactures-tools-something-not-seen-in-the-wild/
33 comments
I find the "social" needs of animals very interesting. I own a rabbit and most of the time he doesn't like petting and will run if you want to catch him, but if you leave the room he will follow you and go to sleep in a hard to reach corner.
What I'd be interested in would be the question if he hides his tool or what happens to the tool after he gets the nut. Is there any sort of reuse or does he build a new tool each time.
Would he recognize premade tools, maybe pick the best one from a collection of tools present?
There's also some potential in seeing if birds exibit certain types of economic behaviour. If it would be somewhat tedious to collect two nuts per day and he could live off one, would he save some nuts to build a more complex tool (requireing a day+ of build time) that would allow him to harvest a "free" nut each day etc.
Would he recognize premade tools, maybe pick the best one from a collection of tools present?
There's also some potential in seeing if birds exibit certain types of economic behaviour. If it would be somewhat tedious to collect two nuts per day and he could live off one, would he save some nuts to build a more complex tool (requireing a day+ of build time) that would allow him to harvest a "free" nut each day etc.
Behold the creative powers of boredom!
The life of parrots in the wild is too eventful for them to bother with making tools :)
The life of parrots in the wild is too eventful for them to bother with making tools :)
How does bordeom theory explain the tool use of other bird species and other primates in the wild?
Or maybe people spend more time watching captive parrots.
There we are, now uplift isn't as hard as it appeared: just introduce agriculture to a population and wait 10,000 years ;)
Somewhat related is the crow machine. It trains crows to collect and deposit money in exchange for a treat: http://www.josh.is/crow-machine/
That's awesome. Thanks.
Here in The Yukon we have lots and lots of enormous ravens that hang around and generally cause trouble (getting into trash, etc.). While out moose hunting they were following our canoe and making all kinds of noise when we were trying to be quiet.
I was wondering if it would be possible to train one to seek out moose, and land in a tree above them, so we could spot the moose (they are very hard to spot sitting on the side of a river in long grass).
This gives me hope.
Here in The Yukon we have lots and lots of enormous ravens that hang around and generally cause trouble (getting into trash, etc.). While out moose hunting they were following our canoe and making all kinds of noise when we were trying to be quiet.
I was wondering if it would be possible to train one to seek out moose, and land in a tree above them, so we could spot the moose (they are very hard to spot sitting on the side of a river in long grass).
This gives me hope.
Before it was only the chimps and other apes, and now dolphins, then the parrots ... we have to step up our game people! Next thing you know they are submitting pull requests ...
Interesting that the other parrot learnt by copying the first parrot, not buy independently coming up with the idea itself.
Interesting, but not very surprising. A very small percentage of people come up with genuinely new ideas. A slightly larger percentage synthesize those ideas into other ideas. About half the remaining can learn those ideas, and the other half stares into the abyss of natural selection.
Thankfully the parrot was able to just copy and adapt without worrying abou IP laws :P
I'm imagining some magpie with a tie flying in, taking the stick and demanding a nut to give it back :D
I'm imagining some magpie with a tie flying in, taking the stick and demanding a nut to give it back :D
Big evolutionary advantage in being able to transfer newfound skills through observation and copying.
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My favorite example of tool use in birds is this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYZnsO2ZgWo of a crow that actually bends a piece of wire to form a hook. There are some details about it here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/08/0808_020808_...
I don't feel like opening up that video now but I believe it is from a documentary that also showed that crows are capable of grabbing one tool (a short stick) in order to reach ANOTHER tool (a longer stick) which finally helped the crow reach the food. They also showed how crows are able to remember faces and also transfer the knowledge of which face to be wary of to their young. Really fascinating stuff.
Have you seen this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGPGknpq3e0&feature=relat...
Where a bird uses cars and a crosswalk to crack nuts.
Where a bird uses cars and a crosswalk to crack nuts.
What I wonder is: why is this so relevant if birds have been building nests for quite a while yet? I do not get the great difference... And please do not mention the 'tool' word: a nest is something MUCH more complicated and abstract than a tool.
Unfortunately I don't have sources to cite or know enough about the topic to explain it eloquently but I know you're wrong. Tool use is far more abstract and requires much more intelligence. The animal has to recognize and understand the problem at hand, the fact that they can create a tool, and then the method of using that tool. Nesting is an evolutionary trait that has existed for a long time.
Depends on what you call 'intelligence': making a home for living is more intelligent than just picking a stone for playing, is it not?
Building for the future (you know, you do not build a nest with a couple of straws) means projecting oneself in the future: that is intelligence for me.
'I know you're wrong' is quite strong.
Building for the future (you know, you do not build a nest with a couple of straws) means projecting oneself in the future: that is intelligence for me.
'I know you're wrong' is quite strong.
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And spiders can craft incredibly complicated webs.
However there is a big difference between something that you have wired into your instinct by thousands of years of evolution (such as nests and spider webs) and coming up with new tools in order to adapt to a novel environment.
However there is a big difference between something that you have wired into your instinct by thousands of years of evolution (such as nests and spider webs) and coming up with new tools in order to adapt to a novel environment.
Not a biologist but my guess would be that nest building is more or less "hardcoded reproduction code (perfected over time)" and this case is one of seeing a problem, finding a tool to fix the problem.
The fact that it is 'hardcoded' does not diminish its value as 'intelligence'.
Yes, it does. If it is 'hardcoded', then the intelligence lies in whatever 'hardcoded' it, not in the entity following the 'hardcoding'. Genetic algorithms have a certain amount of intelligence, although slow and clumsy. The fact that the world's biggest genetic algorithm* can program a spider to build an elegant solution does not mean the spider itself is intelligent.
* If you treat the algorithm for spiders and beetles as the same... I strongly suspect that a significant portion of the algorithm is actually implemented within the genes. For example, control genes massively amplify the effect of small genetic changes, allowing creatures using them to evolve faster than those without.
* If you treat the algorithm for spiders and beetles as the same... I strongly suspect that a significant portion of the algorithm is actually implemented within the genes. For example, control genes massively amplify the effect of small genetic changes, allowing creatures using them to evolve faster than those without.
Ever heard of Anthropocentrism? Why would tool use be confined to humans? When a baby (or a cub) learns to control his/her eye muscles, or her/his hands; when a bird builds a nest, it's tool use. Tool use is simply an extension of learning how to use our bodily organs, nothing special about it, all living creatures do that.
Tool use is very rare. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool_use_by_animals
Coolest thing on HN in at least a week. Thanks!
I'd hire him.
He is very clever in understanding his environment. Once he raised one wing over his head and lowered the other wing to make his shoulders narrow enough to walk between two obstacles. He also has a strange desire to explore dark closets - odd since he has poor night vision.
I advise against anyone buying a Parrot unless they have a lot of free time. A Parrot will thrive in captivity if he has a lot (a lot!) of attention, otherwise Parrots in captivity will be miserable. For example, my wife and I need to keep our bird in the same room where we are hanging out - it does not do at all to leave a Parrot by themselves and we only do so when we go out to some social event. When we travel I hire a bird specialist to care for him. I have mostly been retired for a long time, so he is a good pet for me.