Mirror test shows magpies aren't so bird-brained

Read more: http://www.newscientist.com/article/d...

New research shows that magpies can recognise themselves - the first time this has been shown in non-mammals.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[falcoperegrinus82]

Not only are they self-aware, the know know what their correct appearance should be.

[Arya Isara]

I have a magpie and she's really smart (I've never tried anything with a mirror though)! When she does something she's not allowed to (like bathing in the cat's water...) and when we enter the room, she pretends to be sleeping, lol!

[kur1tan]

I had a magpie... but it was arrested for theft.

[heldgop]

falsifiable, a basic part of the scientific method.

science bitches, it woks!!! :D

[Machinegun0arg]

Good thing they thought about putting black stickers as well: otherwise the proof they can recognize themselves could have simply mean they felt something weird on their feathers

[dave cooper]

In the kitchen to cook he would help me by peeling the spuds with his claws

[dave cooper]

I had a magpie and when I went in th

[Arya Isara]

Finally, let me add that I have a video of Lois on my channel, though it's nothing extraordinary, just some footage of her "singing" or expressing her dislike on different music (it really seemed some she liked and some she hated ^^) ;)

[Arya Isara]

She was also always very quiet when people were around. But when it was just the family, she didn't hesitate to fly around and land on the table to try to drink in our glasses and steal something from our plates XD Also, I had cats before she arrived in the family, but my cats accepted her & there was no problem leaving them in the same room, even though 2 of my cats hunted a lot outside. Lois (the magpie) wasn't scared of them at all but "screamed" if she spotted an unknown cat by the window!:)

[Arya Isara]

Unfortunately my magpie died a year ago, of old age... :/ But I can tell you that she didn't care about mirrors ^^ although she did a lot of funny and smart things. For instance, she didn't like when one of us had new clothes or pair of shoes. It scared her it seems, she made that sound magpies make when scared or angry. After about a minute it was okay, she knew it was just us. But how could she know when I had a new pair of shoes, when they're all black? She saw every details I guess.

[charlicopter]

Yeah you don't have to worry about that...they live in large aviaries with other birds with lots of enriching elements in their environment. And, to boot, they don't have to worry about predators!

Don't lose too much sleep over it :)

[charlicopter]

Would it be possible for you to take some footage of your magpie and its reactions to a mirror? I'd love to see how it responds having lived in a human environment all this time...it would also be very interesting to note how you think it behaves because you have a strong relationship with the animal...