3 ms·
In our neighborhood we see quite a few corvids, crows, scrub-jays and Steller's jays. The jays in particular are entertaining. They are very fond of raw peanu
by jrapdx3 11y ago
In our neighborhood we see quite a few corvids, crows, scrub-jays and Steller's jays. The jays in particular are entertaining. They are very fond of raw peanuts in the shell. When the birds are visiting, tossing a few peanuts leads to observing bird behavior not unlike that of human primates.
They get into "arguments" with each other over possession of the nuts. Sometimes they seem more interested in "fighting" than eating. So they are sort of competitive with each other, yet they also cooperate, since most of the jays wind up with the opportunity to grab a peanut or two.
A few individuals have physical deficits: one's missing part of its lower mandible, another one has only a right foot. Yet they adapt to these handicaps figuring out ways to get a share of the peanuts and other goodies we supply.
Reading about avian neuroanatomy shows very differently organized brains. Of course their brains are smaller in absolute size vs. primates. I've wondered if the nuclei-organized avian brain is a more efficient "processor" vs. mammalian layered brain. Maybe that accounts for the surprisingly excellent corvid performance.
- 6stringmerc 11y agoGlad you posted and I like how you describe the adaptations and determination of that particular group. Good notes! Regarding your last point and line of thinking, I've been studying a lot of flight processing resources and that might also be a characteristic of their brain structure. Being able to use the motor skills and air conditions for flight - to me - seems like it's more complex than walking around on two legs. Fun to think about!
- a3n 11y agoYou should talk to an experienced skydiver about what it's like to operate in 3 dimensions. I skydived long ago, and while I never got really great at it, I remember doing things "instinctively" to make or avoid something happening. For example, dipping a shoulder, especially without thinking about it, to move somewhere or out of the way of someone. I guess bicycle riding is another example of making things happen in unnatural or differently constrained environments.
- jrapdx3 11y agoI'm not really familiar with the intricacies of flight processing, I think you mean the neuromuscular mechanisms used by birds to accomplish flight. It is amazing to watch, though it's interesting how birds vary in coordination ability. Our jay friends aren't as graceful as other species, like the northern flicker, when landing on the suet cage. It can take 2 or 3 tries for jays to find the right balance point. My thought is that the birds with superior problem-solving skills are accomplishing it with a much less massive brain that primates, perhaps their neural arrangements are more space efficient, packing more processing power into the available volume by having less redundancy of "wiring" or more direct interconnections among "subprocessors" vs. the layered organization of mammalian brain. It's sort of like the discussions around computer/processor architectures. The standard von Neumann organization may not be the most efficient and alternatives are possible. Not that I know a lot about it, but seems to be an idea that parallels avian/mammalian comparisons.