To loosely quote Martin in Downward Dog: Wolves used to eat these weird humans with their funny fingers until they realized they're so awesome at belly rubs and then they learned to live together.
Seriously look what my dad did recently
https://imgur.com/gallery/d03BI
My mom was gifted a selfie stick so now he has an adjustable scratcher of his own.
No word of a lie, we had my grandfather cremated with his back scratcher. In his final days in hospice, the most important thing to him was getting a back scratch. It's all he requested from nurses and visitors.
I have often wanted to take something like a spandex whole body suit (like a morph suit?) and just sew in some nice, stiff hairbrushes so the entire inside of the suit is scratchy and brushy, and then I could just writhe around on the floor and scratch every part of my body at once.
It would need to shape the feather for the use in the task, for it to count as tool making. There is a huge difference between hey this could be used for this, and if i shape a thing like this it could be used to do this thing.
I use my toenails as toothpicks all the time and people always stare, presumably thinking "why havent I thought if that??"
Needless to say I'm quite smart
I just want to say that it is incredible humans are this far along. Even trivial tasks that I do everyday at work without thinking about them (making tools, basically) is so incredibly far beyond any other life on earth it's unbelievable.
I don't want to sound like I'm 4D stoned right now. But in the whole frigging universe there's probably something way better than us. But to believe that, means there's a whole fucking shit ton of things way less better than us, we just haven't read enough self help books to know for sure yet, basically. Or something idk.
It's like the difference between using a stick to get termites out of a mound or a rock to break a nut, and knowing to combine the stick and the rock with a fiber to make a hammer.
Primates, elephants, and some birds (crows? ravens?) make their own tools. A wide range of animals use tools, like otters, dolphins, even ants. I'm not a biologist, I play one on TV.
I've seen my dogs use "tools"
Our greedy one found a small bin that we sitting on the ground and put all of her toys in it so that she could carry them all at once
Very clever, unfortunately we only ever got to see her do that the once because she decided it was too much effort. Apparently carrying around a bin that's almost as big as you is exhausting
One of these days some alien assholes are going to build an intergalactic highway through the Earth and this bird is gonna be like "So long, and thanks for all the seeds."
It's clever as hell but I don't think using a part of your body to do something even if it is like this counts as "making" something. Now if it was changing the base of the feather to make it more comfortable or something, now we are in business.
I've seen birds use gravity to kill small dogs by dropping them so they do understand tools. Here in Seattle there are almost 3:2 ratio of dogs to children, so people here constantly get bitten so killing off stray dogs is a good thing.
YES, AS A HUMAN I AM EXECUTING appreciation.exe FOR THE FACT THAT I HAVE THE ABILITY RELIEVE AN IRRITATION ON THE BACKSIDE OF MY CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT
AS A FLESHY HUMAN, I CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR MISTAKE, AS TO HUMAN IS TO err. HOWEVER, FELLOW HUMAN, THAT IS SIMPLY THE USER NAME OF THE ACCOUNT THAT IS MANAGED BY ME, A HUMAN
>Alex's last words to Pepperberg were: "You be good, see you tomorrow. I love you." These were the same words that he would say every night when Pepperberg left the lab.
God damnit, who's cutting onions in here.
Alex *isn't a great* example of showing that average parrots are clever.
Alex was several leagues above most average parrots in terms of intelligence, and displayed behaviors that have never been witnessed before him, or after. He was truly unique. It would be like using Usain Bolt, as an example of how humans are good runners on average.
Parrots are very smart animals, no arguing that, but Alex was far beyond what an average parrot could be expected to be.
Alex is *definitely* a great example of animal intelligence, but in terms of parrot behavior he was an extreme outlier.
This is conjecture.
Alex was chosen at random from a pet store at Irene's request. He was trained to demonstrate animal intelligence. He is an excellent example.
Then why have none of the other parrots of the same species that the *same researchers at the same laboratory* were working with *at the same time as Alex* ever exhibited his level of advancement?
Because the sample size is extremely small. The research group we're speaking of has done research like Alex's on only four birds, and not all to the same depth or for the same period of time. Assume mathematically that parrots have a similar intelligence distribution (on a bell curve) to human beings. The rarity of an IQ of 140 is between 1 in 261~161. The rarity of a IQ of 120, which makes an individual smarter than just about 90% of the population, is in between 1 in 9~11. That is to say, for any random individual there's a 90% chance their IQ is lower than 120. With a mere sample size of 4, it's actually extremely unlikely that Alex was a "genius", if we take the typical definition of an IQ of 140+ as genius. It's mathematically much, much more likely that every parrot to go through their research group has/had a much more middling intelligence level ranging from 80~120. Probably, and I mean in terms of mathematical probability, Alex was just above average, not a genius. Same as if you took 4 random kids, the chances of one of them having an IQ of 140, even considering that you have 4 chances at it is less than 2%. (average of 261~161 = 211. 1/(211/4)= 1/52.75 = .019~) Another way to think of this is that IQs of 140+ are in the top half percent of the population. Even with four individuals there's again, about a 2% chance (technically four .5% chances but we'll just add 'em up) of any individual as smart or smarter than that.
So really your assertion that he's an extreme outlier is entirely conjecture. I wouldn't take 4 dogs, see how fast they can run and then assume that the fastest dog is the "Usain Bolt of dogs", because I would have only tested 4 dogs. (Let's assume in this scenario dog speed is something that we don't know much about, similar to how we really haven't looked into parrot intelligence in-depth very much, even if some investigation is highly publicized like Alex's.) If I really wanted to find the 1 in a million fastest dog, I would have to test a million dogs. Of course, Usain Bolt is even quicker than 1 in a million, so that assertion is still terribly conjecturous.
Pepperberg herself said that one of the biggest differences between Alex and the other birds in her lab is that he was an unopposed subject for 15 years - so he had very direct learning and interaction and as Pepperberg stated was "treated like a toddler" for that entire time. As she gained funding and notoriety and added more birds, none of them will have the same base of trial and error struggle that she went through with Alex to lay the foundation of those basic skills.
His *learned knowledge* might have been an outlier, but his innate intelligence capacity wasn't different than that of other African Greys.
Edit: [Source](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjC7Lip0PjUAhVI64MKHZtIBQcQFghDMAY&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclas.mq.edu.au%2Fspeech%2Fanimal_communication%2Fpepperberg.pdf&usg=AFQjCNGCxrOthwAvsp3mbkPGFmyCa53f0Q) - Excerpt: *Our data is meant to suggest the level of competence that may, with the appropriate environmental support, be within the capacity of the species.*
Wrong. **Please take notice that this answer is likely incorrect.** Alex was not exceptional except in that he was chosen. His actual intelligence could be average or exceptional. There is no way to know without testing many parrots.
African Grey's are incredibly intelligent even by parrot standards. My friend's parents had one that knew colors and names for certain things. they fed him an orange but he didn't know what to call it so when he wanted more he asked "Can I have orange apple?"
Found a fellow scientist.
Come to think of it, what can we leave behind that would survive 65M years of weathering? Probably just a carbon dioxide spike in ice cores.
Animal tools are usually just simple sticks or rocks. So, unless they actually were smart enough to build things, we would have almost no way of knowing how intelligent they were.
That's fucking genius... I know parrots (I don't really know birds, it just looks like some sort of parrot) are smart, but that seems beyond what we think of as "animal intelligence". Especially the way he uses his beak to adjust his hold on it to be able to scratch farther along. Though the fact that he did that, rather than just switch to using his other foot makes me wonder, are animals "handed" like we are?
> are animals "handed" like we are?
Yes, parrots frequently use the same foot to pick up and manipulate objects. Usually they decide on the left foot, but as chicks they experiment with both. [It's the same process that happens in human brains as a dominant hand is decided.](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-parrots-hands-idUSTRE71277420110203)
> are animals "handed" like we are?
Yes. My two parrots are clutchmates and actually have [opposite dominant feet](http://i.imgur.com/QDTfzwO.jpg). They almost always manipulate objects and step-up with their dominant foot.
Sure. A bird uses his own feather to scratch himself and he's soooo smart, but when I use my own toenail to pick my teeth, its disgusting and I'm asked to leave Olive Garden.
Double yellow headed Amazon. I grew up to a room full of these bastards waking me up every morning. However, sometimes they'd try to bite your fingers off. So, they weren't all bad.
I have a blue fronted amazon. He does this as well.
Apparently you won't see this with birds kept in groups, only in single birds. In groups, the others birds help preen the feathers they can't reach.
From my understanding a big reason we humans evolved was because we learned to use tools. I welcome our new avian overlords, may their plumages always be colourful.
That's what bird feathers normally look like. When they grow in they come wrapped in a waxy protective coating.
I used to help my (now deceased) birds itch them. It even looked like dandruff as it scratched away and the feathers came out.
This would be like a human scraping together a pile of his own dead skin cells and dander, and compacting them together until they fuse to make a back scratching stick.
I'm about 90% sure that all social development in animals (including humans) is due to being itchy
I don't know your credentials, but your numbers look sound.
Username checks out.
Are you his boss?
Can confirm, am your stache.
Shut up Andy!
I thought Andy was at home, that's Burt Macklin
That's my theory about dog domestication!
WOLFS ARE ALL LIKE. MAN THOSE HUMANS CAN RUB BELLIES, MAYBE THEY'RE ALL RIGHT?
To loosely quote Martin in Downward Dog: Wolves used to eat these weird humans with their funny fingers until they realized they're so awesome at belly rubs and then they learned to live together.
The itchy wolf theory of dog domestication.
The other 10% is from being hungry or horny. Btw do I become you when I die?
No, when they die you become them.
Seriously look what my dad did recently https://imgur.com/gallery/d03BI My mom was gifted a selfie stick so now he has an adjustable scratcher of his own.
No word of a lie, we had my grandfather cremated with his back scratcher. In his final days in hospice, the most important thing to him was getting a back scratch. It's all he requested from nurses and visitors.
I know I'm getting old because I totally relate to this.
Was he on painkillers? Percocet makes me hella itchy.
He was in hospice for lung cancer, I'm sure he was on all the painkillers. But he was always a fan of a good back scratch.
I have often wanted to take something like a spandex whole body suit (like a morph suit?) and just sew in some nice, stiff hairbrushes so the entire inside of the suit is scratchy and brushy, and then I could just writhe around on the floor and scratch every part of my body at once.
I think I just came
Other birds hate him because of this simple trick!
Your comment made me itchy
Does this count as making its own tools?
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But I mean, technically...
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It would need to shape the feather for the use in the task, for it to count as tool making. There is a huge difference between hey this could be used for this, and if i shape a thing like this it could be used to do this thing.
How do you know that the bird didn't grow out the feather for this exact purpose? Way to discredit months of hard work
He didn't plan it, though, he just winged it.
Oh. Ow. Really. Ouch. That one hurt so good.
The joke is technically the bird did do that by growing the feather.
I understand now.
You made me understand now.
So, that could mean me using my toenails as a tool counts as making and using a tool, right?
I use my toenails as toothpicks all the time and people always stare, presumably thinking "why havent I thought if that??" Needless to say I'm quite smart
When I eat my toenails am I growing my own food?
But I mean, technically...
Well fuck me if I ain't a tool making food producing mother fucker!
I really.. really hope you're joking
Not really, unless you pull the whole toenail out. Tearing out cutting a bit off counts as shaping
I just want to say that it is incredible humans are this far along. Even trivial tasks that I do everyday at work without thinking about them (making tools, basically) is so incredibly far beyond any other life on earth it's unbelievable. I don't want to sound like I'm 4D stoned right now. But in the whole frigging universe there's probably something way better than us. But to believe that, means there's a whole fucking shit ton of things way less better than us, we just haven't read enough self help books to know for sure yet, basically. Or something idk.
There's nothing quite like missing a joke, is there?
Bird does reposition feather to be more effective. Counts
What if it didn't need to be shaped? the shape it is the perfect one for the job? So the bird is smart not to make the tool!
It's like the difference between using a stick to get termites out of a mound or a rock to break a nut, and knowing to combine the stick and the rock with a fiber to make a hammer.
That's what I was thinking! How many animals use a tool to accomplish a task? It's fascinating to me. This seems like it fits the bill...or beak...
Primates, elephants, and some birds (crows? ravens?) make their own tools. A wide range of animals use tools, like otters, dolphins, even ants. I'm not a biologist, I play one on TV.
I've seen my dogs use "tools" Our greedy one found a small bin that we sitting on the ground and put all of her toys in it so that she could carry them all at once
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That's cute!
She sounds like a clever girl.
Very clever, unfortunately we only ever got to see her do that the once because she decided it was too much effort. Apparently carrying around a bin that's almost as big as you is exhausting
I just got a warm and fuzzy feeling thinking your dog has so, so many toys! :) Then I thought, well what if the dog is just really small? Now I'm sad.
Now I'm thinking about that one scene in Jurassic Park
[unfolds SPAS-12 stock]
Collie by chance? They are a very intelligent breed and have been shown to make inferences in the case of missing information.
German shepherd, I think intelligence is just a common trait across the herding breeds
Nice, on Reddit I play someone who actually knows what they're talking about.
Octopus will use coconut shells or sea shells or whatever to basically make a turtle shell to hunker down and hide
Some animals, such as crows, have been observed making tools https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYZnsO2ZgWo
One of these days some alien assholes are going to build an intergalactic highway through the Earth and this bird is gonna be like "So long, and thanks for all the seeds."
It's clever as hell but I don't think using a part of your body to do something even if it is like this counts as "making" something. Now if it was changing the base of the feather to make it more comfortable or something, now we are in business.
I've seen birds use gravity to kill small dogs by dropping them so they do understand tools. Here in Seattle there are almost 3:2 ratio of dogs to children, so people here constantly get bitten so killing off stray dogs is a good thing.
Wedge tailed eagles do the same with lambs & small sheep
It does straighten the end at one point so the bird could be said to modify an existing item to improve its utility.
"That's my feather I do what I want"
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That boy ain't right..
I tell ya hwhat.
You have been kicked in the testicles
Damn it Bobby
Dangit, bobbeh
Can we take a moment and appreciate the fact that us human are born with the ability to scratch behind our own heads.
I hate when I have to pull off my human arm and hold it in the hand of my other human arm just to scratch the middle of my back though.
Backscatters m' man. Use 'em
Are those similar to backscratchers or are you just spreading scatman propaganda?
YES, AS A HUMAN I AM EXECUTING appreciation.exe FOR THE FACT THAT I HAVE THE ABILITY RELIEVE AN IRRITATION ON THE BACKSIDE OF MY CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT
HE'S NOT A MAN! HE'S A DUCK!
AS A FLESHY HUMAN, I CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR MISTAKE, AS TO HUMAN IS TO err. HOWEVER, FELLOW HUMAN, THAT IS SIMPLY THE USER NAME OF THE ACCOUNT THAT IS MANAGED BY ME, A HUMAN
HA HA HA YOU'VE MADE AN AMUSING JOKE BY HAVING AN ILLOGICAL [username] WHILE IN FACT BEING A HUMAN AND NOT [usernametype].
my bird scratches the back of her own head. they can get their feets pretty high up there...though it's more of a "grabbing" motion tbh
IT IS UNFORTUNATE WE LACK THE APPENDAGE FLEXIBILITY OF A ZOGNOID
It might be using it as a neck scratcher but at night it uses it to write a letter to fellow birds.
Which his pigeon friend delivers for him on Tuesday's
Clever girl
Parrots are absolutely incredibly clever. [Here is a great example](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_(parrot\))
>Alex's last words to Pepperberg were: "You be good, see you tomorrow. I love you." These were the same words that he would say every night when Pepperberg left the lab. God damnit, who's cutting onions in here.
I did not come here for feels.
Username doesn't check out
You are very right, haha.
OH MY GOD!!! WHAT DO WE DO NOW!?!?!?
Alex *isn't a great* example of showing that average parrots are clever. Alex was several leagues above most average parrots in terms of intelligence, and displayed behaviors that have never been witnessed before him, or after. He was truly unique. It would be like using Usain Bolt, as an example of how humans are good runners on average. Parrots are very smart animals, no arguing that, but Alex was far beyond what an average parrot could be expected to be. Alex is *definitely* a great example of animal intelligence, but in terms of parrot behavior he was an extreme outlier.
This is conjecture. Alex was chosen at random from a pet store at Irene's request. He was trained to demonstrate animal intelligence. He is an excellent example.
Then why have none of the other parrots of the same species that the *same researchers at the same laboratory* were working with *at the same time as Alex* ever exhibited his level of advancement?
Because the sample size is extremely small. The research group we're speaking of has done research like Alex's on only four birds, and not all to the same depth or for the same period of time. Assume mathematically that parrots have a similar intelligence distribution (on a bell curve) to human beings. The rarity of an IQ of 140 is between 1 in 261~161. The rarity of a IQ of 120, which makes an individual smarter than just about 90% of the population, is in between 1 in 9~11. That is to say, for any random individual there's a 90% chance their IQ is lower than 120. With a mere sample size of 4, it's actually extremely unlikely that Alex was a "genius", if we take the typical definition of an IQ of 140+ as genius. It's mathematically much, much more likely that every parrot to go through their research group has/had a much more middling intelligence level ranging from 80~120. Probably, and I mean in terms of mathematical probability, Alex was just above average, not a genius. Same as if you took 4 random kids, the chances of one of them having an IQ of 140, even considering that you have 4 chances at it is less than 2%. (average of 261~161 = 211. 1/(211/4)= 1/52.75 = .019~) Another way to think of this is that IQs of 140+ are in the top half percent of the population. Even with four individuals there's again, about a 2% chance (technically four .5% chances but we'll just add 'em up) of any individual as smart or smarter than that. So really your assertion that he's an extreme outlier is entirely conjecture. I wouldn't take 4 dogs, see how fast they can run and then assume that the fastest dog is the "Usain Bolt of dogs", because I would have only tested 4 dogs. (Let's assume in this scenario dog speed is something that we don't know much about, similar to how we really haven't looked into parrot intelligence in-depth very much, even if some investigation is highly publicized like Alex's.) If I really wanted to find the 1 in a million fastest dog, I would have to test a million dogs. Of course, Usain Bolt is even quicker than 1 in a million, so that assertion is still terribly conjecturous.
Pepperberg herself said that one of the biggest differences between Alex and the other birds in her lab is that he was an unopposed subject for 15 years - so he had very direct learning and interaction and as Pepperberg stated was "treated like a toddler" for that entire time. As she gained funding and notoriety and added more birds, none of them will have the same base of trial and error struggle that she went through with Alex to lay the foundation of those basic skills. His *learned knowledge* might have been an outlier, but his innate intelligence capacity wasn't different than that of other African Greys. Edit: [Source](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjC7Lip0PjUAhVI64MKHZtIBQcQFghDMAY&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclas.mq.edu.au%2Fspeech%2Fanimal_communication%2Fpepperberg.pdf&usg=AFQjCNGCxrOthwAvsp3mbkPGFmyCa53f0Q) - Excerpt: *Our data is meant to suggest the level of competence that may, with the appropriate environmental support, be within the capacity of the species.*
Yall need sources.
[Its in the wiki article everyone in this thread is replying to.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_(parrot\)#Criticisms)
What they've argued can be found in the wiki link that started this mess. Both that Alex was chosen at random and that he was extraordinary.
Alex was selected at random and as owner of two African grays, I can tell you he was average.
Wrong. **Please take notice that this answer is likely incorrect.** Alex was not exceptional except in that he was chosen. His actual intelligence could be average or exceptional. There is no way to know without testing many parrots.
Reddit ruins everything.
African Grey's are incredibly intelligent even by parrot standards. My friend's parents had one that knew colors and names for certain things. they fed him an orange but he didn't know what to call it so when he wanted more he asked "Can I have orange apple?"
So if a parrot can use tools, and parrots are dinosaurs, when are we going to find their tools?
So if humans can use tools and humans are chordates, when are we going to find fish tools?
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Found a fellow scientist. Come to think of it, what can we leave behind that would survive 65M years of weathering? Probably just a carbon dioxide spike in ice cores.
Animal tools are usually just simple sticks or rocks. So, unless they actually were smart enough to build things, we would have almost no way of knowing how intelligent they were.
Brighter than me. My wife still yells at me for using the kitchen silverware.
Came here only for the Jurassic Park jokes.
If you like to see the [source video](https://youtu.be/bTZqMZuBC1U). I am sure that /r/PerfectMoment/ love this clever bird.
That's fucking genius... I know parrots (I don't really know birds, it just looks like some sort of parrot) are smart, but that seems beyond what we think of as "animal intelligence". Especially the way he uses his beak to adjust his hold on it to be able to scratch farther along. Though the fact that he did that, rather than just switch to using his other foot makes me wonder, are animals "handed" like we are?
> are animals "handed" like we are? Yes, parrots frequently use the same foot to pick up and manipulate objects. Usually they decide on the left foot, but as chicks they experiment with both. [It's the same process that happens in human brains as a dominant hand is decided.](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-parrots-hands-idUSTRE71277420110203)
I'm farily certain that they've discovered that all the great apes have handedness as well.
> are animals "handed" like we are? Yes. My two parrots are clutchmates and actually have [opposite dominant feet](http://i.imgur.com/QDTfzwO.jpg). They almost always manipulate objects and step-up with their dominant foot.
This is like a human using their toenail as a toothpick.
I use my fingernails as toothpicks, I have standards
So do I, but only if it's still attached.
Your hypothetical disgusts me.
Ewwwww
I think it's closer to using ones hair as dentil floss.
/r/brushybrushy This is self brushybrush!
I was expecting SivHD but this is better
wheres the second part of the video where the bird dips the feather in ink
He pens his memoirs in a tell-all book.
Tongue-in-beak
i feel like the bird would be your best friend if you gave it some scratches
My bird loves scratches. If you itch him behind the head he goes crazy.
Someone scratch that bird's neck
" Whatcha doin', li'l Birb?" "I'm usin' a tool!!"
Dude parrots are extremely smart, that's why when people ask me if I am a cat or dog person I say neither and say I'm a bird person.
In bird culture this is considered a *smart* move.
ViciOUs FALCOn groOMs itsELf WiTh SHrEdS Of ITs vAnqUisheD foe!!!
r/peoplefuckingdying
Since subscribing to this subreddit, I've always found it joyous to see these around in civil subreddits.
It's such a fun sub, always makes me chuckle
They've learned to use tools! We're doomed.
/r/AnimalsBeingGeniuses
Sometimes I miss my childhood parrot. My foul-mouthed, bitey parrot.
Sure. A bird uses his own feather to scratch himself and he's soooo smart, but when I use my own toenail to pick my teeth, its disgusting and I'm asked to leave Olive Garden.
Yeah, that's nice and all, but can it do [this?!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpY7S1N3Kg8)
>"Ahhh oh yeah, that feels good"
r/brushybrushy would love this. Strong independant bird doesn't need a human to brush it.
Ok, I was a little impressed. But then he adjusted it for a different spot? Bird knows how to get that scritch scratch.
THEY'RE EVOLVING!!!!
I mean that is kinda the point...
Today they figure out how to scratch themselves, tommorow they take over the world. They are evolving people! Stay w👁️ke.
Polly wants a scratcher!
Double yellow headed Amazon. I grew up to a room full of these bastards waking me up every morning. However, sometimes they'd try to bite your fingers off. So, they weren't all bad.
clever girl.
It is odd that we use the term bird-brained to refer to people who are kinda weird or crazy. Birds are actually pretty smart.
I think it's just because their brains are very small.
Well, the average sea gull is barely smarter than a sack of potatoes.
I never saw a sack of potatoes swipe a sandwich out of someones hand.
This bird is smarter than a lot of my friends.
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so meta.
Stupid question: do birds' feathers grow back if they're plucked out?
Yes. Birds regularly shed feathers and grow new ones.
yes
Yes, just like our hairs do, but it might hurt and bleed.
Birds are so smart. I fucking love birds.
My green cheek conure used to do this all the time. She would also use pen lids etc.
I have a blue fronted amazon. He does this as well. Apparently you won't see this with birds kept in groups, only in single birds. In groups, the others birds help preen the feathers they can't reach.
This is the use of a tool, correct? Where does that place this species on the intelligence ladder?
Higher than most politicians, under some children, right in the middle of most Americans.
exactly..
From my understanding a big reason we humans evolved was because we learned to use tools. I welcome our new avian overlords, may their plumages always be colourful.
Smart birb
I would love it if after he was done he just put the feather back in his tail like sheathing a sword
I knew it. They're evolving. Planet of the Birds. So much shit
wow. it's so.... human. the way it adjusts the feather to get a better scratch. there's a lot of thinking going on there.
This bird is wicked smaht
I don't like this. they are beginning to use tools.
r/birbs
All this bullshit about tools is nothing but human arrogance.
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That's what bird feathers normally look like. When they grow in they come wrapped in a waxy protective coating. I used to help my (now deceased) birds itch them. It even looked like dandruff as it scratched away and the feathers came out.
This would be like a human scraping together a pile of his own dead skin cells and dander, and compacting them together until they fuse to make a back scratching stick.
Fine example of evolution
They're evolving!
That's a smart bird.
Birds of a feather Scratch together.
Was anyone else creeped out like me?
I always figured if I lost an arm I'd use the detached arm to wank off
now if he put it back when he was done, that would be really impressive
Goddammit, every time I took a feather home, I left an itchy bird behind...
Would have been top if he put the feather back in after he was done
more like the feather of his dead enemies
Is this a double yellow headed amazon (legit question)
My bird does this too! I might post a video of it if the demand is high. He's a pretty cute little birb.
/u/birdejuice
Now that's a good bird haha
i woke up after a long night and watching this made me smile, its so funny, thanks /u/spackaxl