<
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-attached-tracking-devices-to-magpies-that-s-when-things-got-weird>
"When we attached tiny, backpack-like tracking devices to five Australian
magpies for a pilot study, we didn't expect to discover an entirely new social
behavior rarely seen in birds.
Our goal was to learn more about the movement and social dynamics of these
highly intelligent birds, and to test these new, durable and reusable devices.
Instead, the birds outsmarted us.
As our new research paper explains, the magpies began showing evidence of
cooperative "rescue" behavior to help each other remove the tracker.
While we're familiar with magpies being intelligent and social creatures, this
was the first instance we knew of that showed this type of seemingly altruistic
behavior: helping another member of the group without getting an immediate,
tangible reward."
Via Rixty Dixet and Christoph S.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
