Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Bright magpies 'recognise mirror image'

Magpies are beautiful birds but incredibly noisy and also known for eating other birds' eggs and their young, so they aren't exactly popular birds, however they are very intelligent and magpies have been shown to possess the intellectual prowess necessary to recognise themselves in a mirror – a feat that, until now, has only been seen in humans, apes, elephants and dolphins. (link via independent.co.uk) The RSPB: Magpie

4 comments:

  1. There is a large flock of over 20 on the allotment site, who usually appear to be quite fearless. They're certainly very vocal and often squabble among themselves. xx

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  2. Wow, that is a lot of magpies! I've never seen a flock of them. They are very aggressive birds aren't they? I think they are attractive but I dislike their harsh chattering call.

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  3. It is but thankfully they rarely all congregate together.They seem to spend most of their time split into several flocks.
    As the RSPB site says their almost arrogant attitude has won them few friends. xx

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  4. That's true - hardly anyone likes magpies.

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