jape
Well-known member
assuming there are professional ornithologists here and experienced observers, i would like to ask for serious response, about bird consciousness.
i watched a jackdaw fly across the park alone, no diversions, and off into the distance. it made me wonder where he was off to! i suppose it would depend on a general territory size, seasonal urges, experienced knowledge of food sources, community behaviour and more - but something in his tiny brain said it was time to go from a to b.
i dont presume a soul and many say self-awareness is just for humans with a tinge of it in higher apes and dolphins. apparently tested by if they recognise a 'self' in a mirror.
who knows? however it made me think there is more going on probably than an almist mechanical or instinctive behaviour in birds like that jackdaw. and beyond that, individuals including more companionable types like longtailed tits seem to go off alone, do their thing, then make 'decisions' about what to do next.
i can see a reactive response to random factors within parameters. i.e. time of day and year, go to the food place that has insects, say g'day to females, respond to a shape. a kind of pattern within patterns with a freedom to make individual decisions.
i can see this as even a refined chemical and sensory response. but it doesnt seem mechanical. i am not the kind to wish any human attributes on these creatures, but apart from a cynical reflection that many humans show little consciousness, i wonder if there is any kind of personal awareness in the decision making of birds like the jackdaw - just where was he going, but also, not why, but why dud he decide that, was it a decision?
i would like your ponderings and or knowledge please.
i watched a jackdaw fly across the park alone, no diversions, and off into the distance. it made me wonder where he was off to! i suppose it would depend on a general territory size, seasonal urges, experienced knowledge of food sources, community behaviour and more - but something in his tiny brain said it was time to go from a to b.
i dont presume a soul and many say self-awareness is just for humans with a tinge of it in higher apes and dolphins. apparently tested by if they recognise a 'self' in a mirror.
who knows? however it made me think there is more going on probably than an almist mechanical or instinctive behaviour in birds like that jackdaw. and beyond that, individuals including more companionable types like longtailed tits seem to go off alone, do their thing, then make 'decisions' about what to do next.
i can see a reactive response to random factors within parameters. i.e. time of day and year, go to the food place that has insects, say g'day to females, respond to a shape. a kind of pattern within patterns with a freedom to make individual decisions.
i can see this as even a refined chemical and sensory response. but it doesnt seem mechanical. i am not the kind to wish any human attributes on these creatures, but apart from a cynical reflection that many humans show little consciousness, i wonder if there is any kind of personal awareness in the decision making of birds like the jackdaw - just where was he going, but also, not why, but why dud he decide that, was it a decision?
i would like your ponderings and or knowledge please.
