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https://freedium.cfd/https://grrlscientist.medium.com/falklands-falcons-are-as-brainy-as-cockatoos-ddac716f7ca9>
'A team of cognitive scientists whose work I've followed and shared with you
for a number of years reports that a species of falcon can solve puzzles to
gain a food reward as well as — or maybe better — than can Goffin's cockatoos,
who are these researchers' typical study subjects. The scientists, who are with
the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, collaborated with a colleague
at the Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, to test the cognitive
abilities of wild striated caracara,
Phalcoboenus australis, a handsome
blackish falcon that lives exclusively on the Falklands Islands (Islas
Malvinas), a rugged and remote archipelago located at the southern tip of South
America and Tierra del Fuego (Figure 1).
Known locally as Johnny rooks, these mischievous, playful and often destructive
falcons excel at problem-solving, acting rather like keas, a highly intelligent
alpine parrot that lives in the mountains of New Zealand. The striking
similarities in behaviors between the two species made the scientists wonder
whether striated caracaras might be capable of solving puzzle boxes to obtain a
food reward as Goffin's cockatoos can do.
"I kind of had a hunch that there is something special about these birds," said
the study's lead author, cognitive behavioral ecologist Katie Harrington, a
doctoral student at University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna.'
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
