The Crow Whisperer: What happens when we talk to animals?(harpers.org)
harpers.org
The Crow Whisperer: What happens when we talk to animals?
https://harpers.org/archive/2021/04/the-crow-whisperer-animal-communicators/
76 comments
Did you happen to be visiting here[1]? They have two crows and I've seen one of them say "hello" when it saw some birdseed in my hands.
https://www.ohiobirdsanctuary.com
https://www.ohiobirdsanctuary.com
That looks like an interesting place to visit. I'll definitely add it to our prospective post-pandemic day-trip list. Our family gets a kick out of just that kind of place.
The crow in the recording lives at Brukner Nature Center[1] near Troy, OH.
[1] http://www.bruknernaturecenter.com/
The crow in the recording lives at Brukner Nature Center[1] near Troy, OH.
[1] http://www.bruknernaturecenter.com/
Thanks for the reply! I live in Columbus, so I'll have to check out Brukner next time I'm near Dayton.
If you guys love places like that, check out the Sugarcreek Bird Farm in Bellbrook[1], not too far from where you are. It's a third generation run store and part time bird rescue[2] dedicated to parrots and some other larger birds (African Crow and a Toucan are some of their non parrots). They also breed and sell some, but they care more about the bird's health and wellbeing than anything else. We take our green cheek conure and budgie there for grooming and boarding when we're out of town.
Most of their larger birds on display are ones they keep for themselves and have out for socialization, but they're fun to watch and play around with. They recently opened an outdoor aviary in the back of the store. On nicer days, you can step out there and get up close and personal with their Palm Cockatoo (will land on your head, but it means no harm), African Greys and some other larger parrots. Always makes me leave with a smile after observing the surprising intellect of our avian friends.
[1] https://www.sugarcreekbirdfarm.com
[2] They took in a cockatiel not long ago someone abandoned with its cage in a trash can. Sweetest little bird though that they aptly named "Treasure". Will play "peek-a-boo" with you and beg for head scratches
If you guys love places like that, check out the Sugarcreek Bird Farm in Bellbrook[1], not too far from where you are. It's a third generation run store and part time bird rescue[2] dedicated to parrots and some other larger birds (African Crow and a Toucan are some of their non parrots). They also breed and sell some, but they care more about the bird's health and wellbeing than anything else. We take our green cheek conure and budgie there for grooming and boarding when we're out of town.
Most of their larger birds on display are ones they keep for themselves and have out for socialization, but they're fun to watch and play around with. They recently opened an outdoor aviary in the back of the store. On nicer days, you can step out there and get up close and personal with their Palm Cockatoo (will land on your head, but it means no harm), African Greys and some other larger parrots. Always makes me leave with a smile after observing the surprising intellect of our avian friends.
[1] https://www.sugarcreekbirdfarm.com
[2] They took in a cockatiel not long ago someone abandoned with its cage in a trash can. Sweetest little bird though that they aptly named "Treasure". Will play "peek-a-boo" with you and beg for head scratches
At a wilderness park on Kangaroo Island, they have a cockatoo that has learned the sounds of a toddler crying and it is incredibly realistic. Apparently we were not the only parents to rush outside only to find our toddler and her siblings being entertained by a bird.
Cockatoos are remarkably cheeky. When I was in high school a girlfriend I had at the time had parents who owned one. That Cockatoo would scream her name at the top of its lungs in her mom's voice. It was like the bird knew exactly what would get her attention.
lmao in a Boston accent?
There was a seal that spoke with a Boston accent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_(seal)
This matches what I've seen...
My previous dog (RIP, Caleb) hated crows and would bark and lunge at them on our walks. So every time we came out, one would caw out the alert and crows up the road would echo the alert to more distant crows.
The crows did the same thing with my next dog. But the first time he saw crows on the road, he did his greeting dance -- the same one he uses to try to get people or other dogs to come over to meet him.
And that was it, the crows immediately understood and stopped alerting from then on. (Not entirely a happy ending, though. The crows never did come over so Jack could meet them).
My previous dog (RIP, Caleb) hated crows and would bark and lunge at them on our walks. So every time we came out, one would caw out the alert and crows up the road would echo the alert to more distant crows.
The crows did the same thing with my next dog. But the first time he saw crows on the road, he did his greeting dance -- the same one he uses to try to get people or other dogs to come over to meet him.
And that was it, the crows immediately understood and stopped alerting from then on. (Not entirely a happy ending, though. The crows never did come over so Jack could meet them).
I give my dog commands in classical Latin. She obeys salutat, sedes, veni, mecum, achilles, consiste, ambulo, ambulamas, ambulamasne?, minime, ubi feles?, estne bonus?(for giving treat), amicus, tacete, ire mingis, ire cacare, ad domum. And of course saying amo te gets some nose kisses!
Love the idea! Though I would have used the singular imperative more, so e.g.
salūtat (he/she/it salutes) -> salūtā (salute!)
sedēs (you sit) -> sedē (sit!)
tacēte (be quiet, y'all!) -> tacē (be quiet!)
ambulāmus (we walk) -> ambulēmus (let's walk)Great improvements, gratias tibi ago. Every once in a while I sing "Non longa via est Roma" (see on youtube) and its her favorite song, changing the girls name for her name and I always get some nose kisses with it!
Adding to this, it's also not idiomatic to use an infinitive for a purpose clause in Latin. ire cacare ought to be i ut caces ('Go so you might shit').
Gratias!
I often see the 'crow lady' at our local park come to the fields and call out to 'her crows', and they immediately come to her, rest on her shoulders, coo and craw, and generally seem to be pets. Its pretty fun to see wild crows come when they're called, its magical.
She told me that she's been doing this with the crows for years - almost two decades now - and that she thinks the crows are telling their young about her, because she notices new generations over the years.
Of course, she's got treats for them - but even when they don't get treats, the crows seem to be really enamoured with her, as if she has a history of being the 'peanut giver' among the local murder.
She told me that she's been doing this with the crows for years - almost two decades now - and that she thinks the crows are telling their young about her, because she notices new generations over the years.
Of course, she's got treats for them - but even when they don't get treats, the crows seem to be really enamoured with her, as if she has a history of being the 'peanut giver' among the local murder.
That is really cool!
Around 4-5 years ago, I seen a baby seagull had fallen out of it's nest into my garden so I immediately noticed seagulls for the first time. I would feed it cheap haddock cuts. At first the parents were in attack mode but I feel that eventually they accepted me. It was cool to see the baby learn to fly and the parents seemingly being involved.
Anyway although it is hard to tell by looking, each year one of the parents comes back. The only way I feel I know is because in spring if I hang my washing out, all of a sudden this seagull will land and mooch around on the grass, sometimes I have to nudge it with my foot as I go along the washing line to get it out of the way. It's pretty odd given how cagey seagulls are and it doesn't do that if I am not alone.
Edit: I feed it bits and pieces which is the reason of course, but it's nice to see the association none the less.
Anyway I call him Steve as in Steven Seagal. Hopefully it's a male.
Crows would be even more cool.
Around 4-5 years ago, I seen a baby seagull had fallen out of it's nest into my garden so I immediately noticed seagulls for the first time. I would feed it cheap haddock cuts. At first the parents were in attack mode but I feel that eventually they accepted me. It was cool to see the baby learn to fly and the parents seemingly being involved.
Anyway although it is hard to tell by looking, each year one of the parents comes back. The only way I feel I know is because in spring if I hang my washing out, all of a sudden this seagull will land and mooch around on the grass, sometimes I have to nudge it with my foot as I go along the washing line to get it out of the way. It's pretty odd given how cagey seagulls are and it doesn't do that if I am not alone.
Edit: I feed it bits and pieces which is the reason of course, but it's nice to see the association none the less.
Anyway I call him Steve as in Steven Seagal. Hopefully it's a male.
Crows would be even more cool.
> as if she has a history of being the 'peanut giver' among the local murder...
Adding the words ... investigation unit ... would completely change the tone of this 'peanut giver' message.
Adding the words ... investigation unit ... would completely change the tone of this 'peanut giver' message.
While it's easy to be skeptical, it could be useful to ask whether animals of different species find ways to communitcate with each other, and if so, could the same kind of ability be distributed unevenly among humans?
As people, how much of what we interpret as physical body language from each other gets translated into language in our inner monologue for a kind of narrative reasoning, which we then act on? To say that's projecting intent on others because we can't truly know someones intentions without language is ridiculous if you've ever managed to get by somewhere without knowing a language. Extending that way of relating to animals to me is absolutely viable. Especially sophisticated intelligent animals like crows.
It's a skill you can practice and develop to where strange animals will accept your presence and respond to cues. It takes practice to walk into a herd of horses in a field without them stampeding, to get panicking dogs to relax, or even to shoo off a bear. It's like shifting them out of their instinctual reactions and activating or stimulating their capacity to reason. It's also a huge element of human charisma, where if you have ever met someone who can command a room with very minor gestures, or quiet a kid in a tantrum, it's the same ability.
I think there is something universal that people can develop (or have terrible deficits in), and this crow whispering person seems to have really mastered it. What a pleasure to read.
As people, how much of what we interpret as physical body language from each other gets translated into language in our inner monologue for a kind of narrative reasoning, which we then act on? To say that's projecting intent on others because we can't truly know someones intentions without language is ridiculous if you've ever managed to get by somewhere without knowing a language. Extending that way of relating to animals to me is absolutely viable. Especially sophisticated intelligent animals like crows.
It's a skill you can practice and develop to where strange animals will accept your presence and respond to cues. It takes practice to walk into a herd of horses in a field without them stampeding, to get panicking dogs to relax, or even to shoo off a bear. It's like shifting them out of their instinctual reactions and activating or stimulating their capacity to reason. It's also a huge element of human charisma, where if you have ever met someone who can command a room with very minor gestures, or quiet a kid in a tantrum, it's the same ability.
I think there is something universal that people can develop (or have terrible deficits in), and this crow whispering person seems to have really mastered it. What a pleasure to read.
In his book Mutual Aid a Factor in Evolution, the 19th century naturalist Peter Kropotkin remarks on the flocks of mixed species of birds he encountered in Siberia. He documented clear cases of inter-species coöperation, like warning of and mobbing predators.
It was one of the experiences that led him to his hypothesis that coöperation was a survival trait that would be preserved and spread by natural selection.
It was one of the experiences that led him to his hypothesis that coöperation was a survival trait that would be preserved and spread by natural selection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVng8JTCV8s this is a fascinating video from an expert on this, about how to build trusting relationships with reptiles, including highly aggressive and territorial ones. I really reccomend it if you're interested in this
'Joseph Carter the Mink Man' has some interesting videos on training a reptile to respond.
His animal training skills are pretty remarkable if a person is OK with hundreds of dead rats. He must have the world's most well-trained dog.
His animal training skills are pretty remarkable if a person is OK with hundreds of dead rats. He must have the world's most well-trained dog.
If you are ever bored and you have a backyard try watching Blue/Stellar’s/Eurasian Jays for a bit. They are very closely related to crows (both in corvidae) and very intelligent.
They are really social and act almost like a primate. A lot of fun to watch them interact with each other.
They are really social and act almost like a primate. A lot of fun to watch them interact with each other.
If you have Steller's jays (I don't know if the others also do this) try putting out some in-shell peanuts.
They will pick up one, then put it down and pick up another, and so on, sometimes going back to recheck one, until finally deciding which one to fly off with. They are quick picky.
When the last peanut is gone, sometimes I put out more. And sometimes then I'll see one or two of the jays come back, still carrying the peanuts they had from before. They will put down the old peanut they brought back, and then go through the whole selection process again.
They will pick up one, then put it down and pick up another, and so on, sometimes going back to recheck one, until finally deciding which one to fly off with. They are quick picky.
When the last peanut is gone, sometimes I put out more. And sometimes then I'll see one or two of the jays come back, still carrying the peanuts they had from before. They will put down the old peanut they brought back, and then go through the whole selection process again.
When you're doing this, please be careful to pick up the leftover peanuts. One of our neighbors does this and our property is constantly being invaded by rats who are attracted to her discarded peanuts.
I live in a medium sized city and I see people throwing bread on the ground "for the pigeons." The pigeons eat maybe 75% - the rest is for the rats. Drives me up a wall.
In my hometown (Kraków), pigeons are considered to be rats with wings... but they're also sort of a symbol, because to this day they flock around the city's main square. Possibly because we used to feed them there.
When I was a kid, old ladies would sell grain in plastic cups for people to throw to the pigeons. The moment you poured some grain on your hand, you were suddenly surrounded by a hundred birds. It was an attraction for both tourists and children. I haven't seen that practiced in a decade or more, I suppose feeding the pigeons became illegal at some point.
When I was a kid, old ladies would sell grain in plastic cups for people to throw to the pigeons. The moment you poured some grain on your hand, you were suddenly surrounded by a hundred birds. It was an attraction for both tourists and children. I haven't seen that practiced in a decade or more, I suppose feeding the pigeons became illegal at some point.
Additionally because peanuts can grow botulism very quickly if they get damp
I put out peanuts for my jays and crows, it’s one of the highlights of my morning. I also noticed how picky they are. Meanwhile, the crows just swoop in and grab a few at a time. The jays seemed to accept me the quickest and they consistently get the closest. I tried hand feeding the other day but we aren’t quite there yet. It’s such a treat having bird friends!
How long did it take for them to get so friendly? What was the baseline bird-friendliness level in your area?
I moved 8 months ago and put out feeders almost immediately. It only took a few months for the most skittish to get comfortable and I honestly haven’t tried as hard as I could have. The jays were fairly comfortable within maybe a month - they can’t resist the peanuts haha.
My place has some nice trees and shrubs so I think they were already comfortable in the yard. I don’t really see many feeders elsewhere in my neighborhood but I’ve passed a few houses where I’ve noticed significant bird song and I’ve seen a few houses with bird houses.
I think a lot of it comes down to the vibe you give them. I spend a lot of time thinking about how they interpret my actions so that I don’t scare/annoy them. Small things like slow movements, not staring at them, letting them dictate the encounter, etc.
My place has some nice trees and shrubs so I think they were already comfortable in the yard. I don’t really see many feeders elsewhere in my neighborhood but I’ve passed a few houses where I’ve noticed significant bird song and I’ve seen a few houses with bird houses.
I think a lot of it comes down to the vibe you give them. I spend a lot of time thinking about how they interpret my actions so that I don’t scare/annoy them. Small things like slow movements, not staring at them, letting them dictate the encounter, etc.
They certainly do love peanuts. I had a Blue Jay “knock” on my door the other day to remind me to put out more peanuts.
My dad watches the Stellar’s fly in with peanuts and hide them in his yard, sometimes deciding that the spot they choose isn’t right or possibly another observed their hiding spot and moving the plant to a new location.
I occasionally give the family of magpies nearby some plain ground beef (cooked) like maybe a handful of times per season. They always visit when I'm outside and they're attentive and interesting.
Just a heads up, I listened to a podcast about bird feeding recently and they mentioned that ground beef can cause serious bone density issues in magpies and crows, they're used to eating the bones of small animals alongside the meat and with a full belly of mince they won't seek them out.
May be worth looking into! They suggested mixing ground-up calcium supplements into the beef.
May be worth looking into! They suggested mixing ground-up calcium supplements into the beef.
If you leave out (unsalted) fat trimmings from meat it can also attract Woodpeckers. Suet will attract even more.
Somewhat random anecdote:
On my morning walk into the office there’s a healthy population of Kaka, a native NZ parrot somewhat similar to the more widely known Kea. They’re the result of a successful breeding program at Zealandia, and lurk around the town belt fringes of Te Ahumairangi hill and Tinakori Rd in fair numbers.
Being a bit of a bird nut, I pay attention to their calls, locations, and behaviours and have spent a bit of time mimicking calls back to them. Quite a few times they’ve responded back and forth for a few minutes.
Interestingly, they’ve remembered this for a long time and now I get a flyover and particular call noise when I’m spotted. It doesn’t seem to matter what I’m wearing and I don’t have to look up so they’re not ID-ing by face or plumage. I have a pretty unique gait which I’m guessing is what they pick up on.
I probably shouldn’t take this any further via offerings since maintaining a distrust of humans is broadly beneficial for their long-term success, but the temptation is certainly there and my chance of success seems pretty high. Spotting a handful of seed from hundreds of yards away is a universal parrot superpower.
The point made in the article about just paying attention resonates, but of course some interest has to exist beforehand.
On my morning walk into the office there’s a healthy population of Kaka, a native NZ parrot somewhat similar to the more widely known Kea. They’re the result of a successful breeding program at Zealandia, and lurk around the town belt fringes of Te Ahumairangi hill and Tinakori Rd in fair numbers.
Being a bit of a bird nut, I pay attention to their calls, locations, and behaviours and have spent a bit of time mimicking calls back to them. Quite a few times they’ve responded back and forth for a few minutes.
Interestingly, they’ve remembered this for a long time and now I get a flyover and particular call noise when I’m spotted. It doesn’t seem to matter what I’m wearing and I don’t have to look up so they’re not ID-ing by face or plumage. I have a pretty unique gait which I’m guessing is what they pick up on.
I probably shouldn’t take this any further via offerings since maintaining a distrust of humans is broadly beneficial for their long-term success, but the temptation is certainly there and my chance of success seems pretty high. Spotting a handful of seed from hundreds of yards away is a universal parrot superpower.
The point made in the article about just paying attention resonates, but of course some interest has to exist beforehand.
Loved this, thanks for linking.
When COVID started, I too was desperate for something other than dire news. I went and picked up "Bark Butter Bites", which are chunks of peanut butter, corn and beef suet enriched with calcium. In short, it is ideal food for a bird. They go nuts for the stuff! I started feeding them to the crows in the neighbourhood, which is surrounded by forests.
Well, you know. It's been well over a year now. I walk 3 times a day and I have never left the house without these peanuty treats in my pocket. The crows have formed a parameter around my house and escort me everywhere. They come very close, have shown many, many examples of extreme intelligence, empathy and humour. But what's struck me is just how much social grace they possess. They have a crystal clear understanding of mutually sane boundaries. They know where I live, but will not disturb us in anyway. They show absolute and respectful care around "my nest".
One funny story is, after getting used to one of our common walking routes that breaks into a forest trail, the _entire gang_ showed up one day. We think there was a sort of meeting, as normally the locals in this spot around around 5-20. This day, there were 100+.
I took too long to notice, though, as I started dishing out food, only to realize... "Hey look! There are... 10... 15... 20... 40 --Fuuu-oh-oh -- Oh _shit_!" -- something like a crow tornado whirled through the street. And it's 7am! And they're loud!
We decide to turn back home (running), only to wind up crossing a road near a school -- relatively busy with commuter traffic, even during COVID -- and are followed by no less than 100 crows. The people in the cars and on the street are all staring, mouths agape, as two random people cross by surrounded by a cawing mass of grateful, hungry and black feathery insanity. Back again, as soon as we got very close to home... they went: "Ahhh, okay, well, bye!" and left quietly.
I love 'em.
When COVID started, I too was desperate for something other than dire news. I went and picked up "Bark Butter Bites", which are chunks of peanut butter, corn and beef suet enriched with calcium. In short, it is ideal food for a bird. They go nuts for the stuff! I started feeding them to the crows in the neighbourhood, which is surrounded by forests.
Well, you know. It's been well over a year now. I walk 3 times a day and I have never left the house without these peanuty treats in my pocket. The crows have formed a parameter around my house and escort me everywhere. They come very close, have shown many, many examples of extreme intelligence, empathy and humour. But what's struck me is just how much social grace they possess. They have a crystal clear understanding of mutually sane boundaries. They know where I live, but will not disturb us in anyway. They show absolute and respectful care around "my nest".
One funny story is, after getting used to one of our common walking routes that breaks into a forest trail, the _entire gang_ showed up one day. We think there was a sort of meeting, as normally the locals in this spot around around 5-20. This day, there were 100+.
I took too long to notice, though, as I started dishing out food, only to realize... "Hey look! There are... 10... 15... 20... 40 --Fuuu-oh-oh -- Oh _shit_!" -- something like a crow tornado whirled through the street. And it's 7am! And they're loud!
We decide to turn back home (running), only to wind up crossing a road near a school -- relatively busy with commuter traffic, even during COVID -- and are followed by no less than 100 crows. The people in the cars and on the street are all staring, mouths agape, as two random people cross by surrounded by a cawing mass of grateful, hungry and black feathery insanity. Back again, as soon as we got very close to home... they went: "Ahhh, okay, well, bye!" and left quietly.
I love 'em.
They become very revengeful and aggressive if you have ever disturbed their nest. When I was young I just threw a small stone at one of the nests near my home (for fun not to harm). From then on, for several years, they seem to recognize me everytime I go out of the house and call their gang to swoop on me. I stopped going to my terrace just because of that. After may be 10+ years or so it stopped.
Later I was stunned to read that Crows remember your face and can communicate your face to other Crows[1]. Thats how they can detect you for several miles in radius.
[1] https://theconversation.com/never-cross-a-crow-it-will-remem...
Later I was stunned to read that Crows remember your face and can communicate your face to other Crows[1]. Thats how they can detect you for several miles in radius.
[1] https://theconversation.com/never-cross-a-crow-it-will-remem...
I inadvertently encroached on a crows' nest with a young chick in it, one time while I was out taking pictures on a break at work. The chick called out in alarm, and the parents weren't far away. Then and after, whenever I left the building with my camera in hand, they made low passes and warning calls until I went back inside - but only when I had my camera.
This kept up for days, including after a weekend when I wasn't at work, until it occurred to me to try a peace offering of potato chips from the vending machine - not the healthiest food for anyone, but the best it had to offer, and I had nothing else really to work with. After a few days of emptying a bag of chips on the grassy verge opposite the parking lot, and of conscientiously not approaching the nest again, the warning calls and surveillance flights ceased, and the crows never had a problem with me again.
I'd read previously about corvids' intelligence, but that they should have such an extensive and accurate theory of mind, for animals with whom they have so little in common, still surprised me. Hell, for all that we flatter ourselves we invented the concepts, I've known plenty of humans who grasped impropriety, apology, restitution, and forgiveness less well than those birds did.
This kept up for days, including after a weekend when I wasn't at work, until it occurred to me to try a peace offering of potato chips from the vending machine - not the healthiest food for anyone, but the best it had to offer, and I had nothing else really to work with. After a few days of emptying a bag of chips on the grassy verge opposite the parking lot, and of conscientiously not approaching the nest again, the warning calls and surveillance flights ceased, and the crows never had a problem with me again.
I'd read previously about corvids' intelligence, but that they should have such an extensive and accurate theory of mind, for animals with whom they have so little in common, still surprised me. Hell, for all that we flatter ourselves we invented the concepts, I've known plenty of humans who grasped impropriety, apology, restitution, and forgiveness less well than those birds did.
I really wonder what they think of me shooing them from the nests of smaller birds in the garden. (A futile endeavor, I fear, since I cannot be there all day.) It probably destroys all chances of having a good relationship.. too bad.
Load testing.
When I was young, we would go to my grandpa's place during summer school holidays. He used to go to the porch of his cottage every morning and call out to the crows in a loud voice "kaaa... kaaa... kaaa...". They would be already in position on the branches of the surrounding trees. Never saw them approach the porch uncalled - excellent manners.
The moment they would hear his voice, all would swoop in from various directions and start catching the pieces of bread he would toss in the air. Never saw any pieces hit the ground; no fights either. Once the pieces were gone, they would be gone too. It was a free daily aerial acrobatics show that I never got tired of watching.
The moment they would hear his voice, all would swoop in from various directions and start catching the pieces of bread he would toss in the air. Never saw any pieces hit the ground; no fights either. Once the pieces were gone, they would be gone too. It was a free daily aerial acrobatics show that I never got tired of watching.
Crows are insanely intelligent, hold grudges, and remember people for years.
i'm convinced a few crows in my neighborhood are mad at my dog for chasing them away when she happens upon them. they seem to always crow at her when she's nearby on our walks, though i can't be sure they're the same ones each time. they don't seem to care about me though.
The thing is they might not be, but there's strong evidence that crows can communicate the appearance of people to other crows so they can all agree on which people have been historically hostile towards the flock.
So it might be the same crows...or some crows which have been told to watch out for that dog.
So it might be the same crows...or some crows which have been told to watch out for that dog.
That's hilarious.
Crows always seem to make noises when any big animal appears, possibly to warn the others.
The best way to make a crow friend is to save one that happens to be in distress. They'll be your BFF for life.
Crows always seem to make noises when any big animal appears, possibly to warn the others.
The best way to make a crow friend is to save one that happens to be in distress. They'll be your BFF for life.
I don't know but if you want to communicate with birds it may help to immitate their vocalization structure. "Speech to birdsong conversion" http://www.windytan.com/2021/03/speech-to-birdsong-conversio...
It is my understanding that passeriforme communication relies on more than structure. Recurring "forms" or patterns have been observed and recording+playback attempted. From what I recall a phenomenon that could be described as a "local accent" (modulation of forms or mutation of patterns specific to a region) seemed essential to generate interest from the studied population.
Also: syntax! "Japanese great tits (Parus minor) have developed syntactic rules" https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms10986
Also: syntax! "Japanese great tits (Parus minor) have developed syntactic rules" https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms10986
That's a cool story.
I have no way to say whether or not I believe it all. I generally find my opinions on things like this mean basically nothing, so I'm best off keeping my mouth shut, and enjoying the show.
I have always gotten along well with animals; even bad-tempered ones. They can definitely pick up "vibes."
I have no way to say whether or not I believe it all. I generally find my opinions on things like this mean basically nothing, so I'm best off keeping my mouth shut, and enjoying the show.
I have always gotten along well with animals; even bad-tempered ones. They can definitely pick up "vibes."
There are apparently multiple speech pathologists that have trained their pets to communicate with buttons that speak a given word when pressed. I can't tell if they're grifts or not, but I want to believe.
Some of the prominent examples from three different pet owners:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFOxjyXb1x4 (Stella, a dog that's managed some obvious associations, like 'outside', 'park', and 'play')
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPC6ElzSdxM (Bunny, a dog that's learned more elaborate combinations like "where (object)" or associating "stranger" with someone walking outside)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZzJqZQpmTs (Billi, a cat that's learned some simple things like requesting pets, then pressing the "All Done" button and walking off)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFOxjyXb1x4 (Stella, a dog that's managed some obvious associations, like 'outside', 'park', and 'play')
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPC6ElzSdxM (Bunny, a dog that's learned more elaborate combinations like "where (object)" or associating "stranger" with someone walking outside)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZzJqZQpmTs (Billi, a cat that's learned some simple things like requesting pets, then pressing the "All Done" button and walking off)
Second video is really interesting. It's like the dog is well aware of the buttons and their content; but is not very interested in doing what its owner want. Instead, it seems it's interested in other things (stranger) and would make an effort to communicate that.
I think trying communication while factoring that (things dog are interested in) might yield more interesting results.
I think trying communication while factoring that (things dog are interested in) might yield more interesting results.
my dog certainly knows the words 'outside', 'treat', and 'friend' (for dog friends). she also knows 'go say hi', which is permission to approach a stranger (more in hopes of treats than pets, if we're being honest).
One of the things I enjoy about these is the difference between the cat and the dogs. The dogs are in general very declarative, although sometimes unsure about what is going on or what they want.
The cat on the other hand is only interested in itself and its family member (ie. doesn't care about what's going on outside); but it also seems to change its mind constantly. It might ask for one thing, then seem to think about it and change its mind to something else and change the buttons it is pressing.
But processing the data from them is really hard. Obviously they know a lot of these words, but its when they combine them in interesting ways that you begin to wonder how deep their understanding and ability to express goes. For example Bunny might combine her meager word-set to express something that makes you wonder if what she's trying to say is more than the sum of her words, and if whether she understands it at that level.
The cat on the other hand is only interested in itself and its family member (ie. doesn't care about what's going on outside); but it also seems to change its mind constantly. It might ask for one thing, then seem to think about it and change its mind to something else and change the buttons it is pressing.
But processing the data from them is really hard. Obviously they know a lot of these words, but its when they combine them in interesting ways that you begin to wonder how deep their understanding and ability to express goes. For example Bunny might combine her meager word-set to express something that makes you wonder if what she's trying to say is more than the sum of her words, and if whether she understands it at that level.
For one of the funnier examples with the cat, take a look at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP2SyvutIKA
She pushes the 'Outside' button, goes to the door and looks at the snow and slush outside, and immediately turns around and goes back in... and then a few minutes later pushes the 'Outside' button again while staring at her owner (and not actually going to the door), obviously expecting or hoping for something to happen that will 'fix' the unpleasant weather.
She pushes the 'Outside' button, goes to the door and looks at the snow and slush outside, and immediately turns around and goes back in... and then a few minutes later pushes the 'Outside' button again while staring at her owner (and not actually going to the door), obviously expecting or hoping for something to happen that will 'fix' the unpleasant weather.
A coworker of mine has trained his dogs in this way. They have over a dozen buttons now. The dogs know each others names and will say things like "Sadie Ralphie Outside Play" to ask if they can go outside, or "Sadie Upstairs Nap" which is followed by going upstairs and taking a nap. I'm surely getting the exact wording (and definitely the names) wrong, but it's pretty crazy what they're capable of.
The page get's messed up with adblock on (no text). Archive.is works:
https://archive.ph/t7Yup
I had zero problems with uBlock Origin on Firefox.
I have that and NoScript. Initially I had empty text too, but after allowing only the base domain on NoScript the text appeared. Probably OP has this too?
I suspect the first actual question they will ask will be something like "Why do you keep killing and eating us?"
(Disclaimer - I enjoy eating meat. I'm not sure how I would answer)
(Disclaimer - I enjoy eating meat. I'm not sure how I would answer)
Crows would know exactly why we kill and eat things, since they're opportunistically predatory omnivores who'll kill and eat smaller animals. They'd probably be more interested in why we leave so much free food for them beside the road.
We as humans communicate in many levels beyond speaking. So for me it's natural to think we can communicate in some way with animals and even with plants. I personally believe emotions can be transmitted, they don't "stay inside". I believe in the hive mind theory so to speak. We're all connected, humans, animals, plants etc.
I’m curious about the telepathy aspects of this story. I have always been a skeptic of that - but have recently had some rather strange experiences. Has there been any recent studies (with scientific rigor) about this?
I told my cat to get back in her box (jokingly) yesterday.
She promptly did.
I freaked a little.
She promptly did.
I freaked a little.
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We have a couple that enjoy making a mess in our bird bath.
I call them Russell Raven Cindy Corvid Crow Palmer (has a gimp legand caws for attention constantly)
I'd love to develop an actual relationship with them... but I'd rather not feed them to do it
I call them Russell Raven Cindy Corvid Crow Palmer (has a gimp legand caws for attention constantly)
I'd love to develop an actual relationship with them... but I'd rather not feed them to do it
Neither will speak on command, but they both will speak and mimic sounds. One does a ringtone sort of sound, and says "caw, caw" in a very human voice (presumably mimicking people mimicking crows). One will say "American Crow" every so often.
I managed to get a recording once: https://drive.google.com/file/d/109wzdIsVW7hZwX1-8M3IioUMr49...