Scientists from the University of Bonn found that roosters often warn their “companions” with a rooster “scream” when they see an “aerial threat”, e.g. in the form of a predatory bird. However, they do not raise the alarm when they are alone, so as not to attract the attention of the predator. Scientists decided to use this behavior to conduct an experiment.
58 roosters under the microscope of scientists
In the first series of experiments, the team placed a rooster in one of two parts of the room. In the second part, the scientists placed either a mirror or another rooster, or left it empty. The researchers then projected the silhouette of a flying hawk onto the ceiling of the room containing the first rooster. And what turned out? The results of a study involving 58 roosters showed that the birds made significantly more warning calls when they saw another rooster – an average of 1.33 calls per bird over the three tests – than when they were alone (an average of 0.29 calls) or when they were in front of a mirror ( average 0.43 sounds).
According to the researchers, the findings suggest that the birds did not perceive their reflection as another rooster, even if it was accompanied by the smell and sounds of the other bird. “Our results suggest a level of awareness (in chickens) that prompts discussion about animal rights and welfare,” says Sonja Hillemacher, one of the study’s authors at the University of Bonn.
Pigeons as artificial intelligence?
“The Guardian” also reported on another study whose “heroes” were pigeons. It turned out that they learn from consequences and can recognize similarities between objects. A new study has found that the way pigeons solve problems is consistent with… artificial intelligence. The birds were given a variety of visual tasks, some of which learned to categorize within a few days and others within a few weeks. Scientists have found evidence that the mechanism pigeons use to make good choices is similar to the method used by artificial intelligence models to make good predictions. “It is clear that the mechanisms present in artificial intelligence are also present in the pigeon,” said Brandon Turner, lead author of the study and professor of psychology at Ohio State University. .
Source: Gazeta
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