Bird brains (2023) • Hacker News Board

Re: Bird brains (2023)

#181

Post by throw-the-towel » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 9:20 PM UTC

colordrops wrote: post #119

tombert wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's kind of how I feel about most pets. I've thought about getting a pet turtle or tortoise [1] because they are my favorite animal, but I found out that in order for them to be happy and healthy they need a lot more room than I could easily fit in my house. Either a very large aquarium or a very large area for them to walk around depending on the species, neither of which I can easily have in my house. And I thin…

We adopted three kittens that were found locked into a suitcase and thrown into the trash. Our house is in hills with coyotes so these cats would not survive for any length of time outside. They'd probably also be sent to the pound if we didn't adopt them. I feel bad for confining them in our house but I don't know if there would have been a better outcome for them. Totally agree on more rare/exotic animals though -…

Pet cats, unlike almost all other animals, have actually been evolving to live near humans for millenia. Congrats on your kittens!

Re: Bird brains (2023)

#182

Post by pks016 » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 9:43 PM UTC

robotpepi wrote: post #173

pks016 wrote: post #96

I work on some aspects of intelligence in birds, primarily in songbirds. There have been some effort finding general intelligence ("g" cognitive factor) in birds since last 15-20 years. The results have been mixed as you would expect. Animals' intelligence have evolved for survival and designing experiments to test those are quite hard. Research has shown brain size matters but not that much, we should look at relati…

> Animals' intelligence have evolved for survival and designing experiments to test those are quite hard. My conure is extremely intelligent at times, learning a trick at the second try or doing what I ask him immediately. Most of the time, though, he understands but decides to just ignore me.

Relatable. Motivation is crucial for any task and most of time they are not motivated to do what you want.

Re: Bird brains (2023)

#183

Post by soopypoos » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 10:09 PM UTC

make3 wrote: post #109

justonceokay wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel similarly about cats. I absolutely love cats but I didn’t have one for five years because I refuse to own one in an apartment. It seems like people torture animals to make sure that they have some attention when they get home

it's funny because domesticated cats have much more developed frontal cortexes than their ancestors & it would be one of the things that feral cats lose to genetic drift (meaning, no conservation pressure in the wild). whatever boring stuff we have them do is apparently extremely mentally taxing compared to the wild.

"Your Pet Cat Has a Smaller Brain Than Its Wild Ancestors"

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cat-brains-have-sh...

Re: Bird brains (2023)

#184

Post by anotherevan » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 10:15 PM UTC

The Australian sulfur-crested cockatoos are pretty smart. They would teach each other how to open heavy bin lids to raid the garbage. I seem to remember they would even team up to do it. There are studies about how this behaviour spread from suburb to suburb in Sydney.[1]

More recently they've figured out how to operate drinking fountains.[2][3]

[1] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/cockatoos-lear...

[2] https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2025-06-04/sydney-sulphu...

[3] https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/nature-wildlife/2025...

Re: Bird brains (2023)

#185

Post by bitwize » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 10:16 PM UTC

card_zero wrote: post #131

CalRobert wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s for the best, house cats torture the birds and frogs around here and I hate it. I never knew frogs could scream.

There was a prize-winning photo of a lynx doing that to a rat, a few days ago. https://petapixel.com/2026/03/24/wildlife-photographer-of-th... Then further down the page, "A sika deer carries the interlocked severed head of a rival male that had died after their battle". Nature, eh.

That tracks for sika deer. Those are the "sacred deer" that used to be venerated in Nara, and are still protected under Japanese national treasure laws. They are allowed to roam free throughout Nara, and you face big penalties for hurting or messing with them. You are allowed to feed them special deer crackers which local shopkeepers sell, but woe betide you if a deer sees or smells deer crackers on your person! You will be followed or chased, and may be at risk of being gored on a buck's antlers, until you give up the goods. They're attitude on four cloven hooves, those deer.

Re: Bird brains (2023)

#186

Post by bloomingeek » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 10:24 PM UTC

Before our first trip to New Zealand, March of 2001, we did a lot of research because the plan was to drive up the South Island from the southern tip to the northern, then ferry across to the North Island. We consulted three different Travel books and they all said to be sure to get the rental car insurance and specifically mentioned the Keas.

Sure enough, when we pulled over to a scenic pull over where other cars were, on the way to Milford Sound, there were a couple of Keas attacking a car windshied rubber gasket. I shooed them away, only to see them return. They are really beautiful, mischievous creatures.

Re: Bird brains (2023)

#187

Post by soperj » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 10:24 PM UTC

tombert wrote: post #112

awsanswers wrote: post #69

If you're in tune with animals and spend time around a parrot, it's obvious there is a lot going on in their minds. They have incredible memories and their own understanding of their world. It looks simple to us but they are not simple creatures. That being said, I don't know how a bird lover can keep a bird in a cage.

That's kind of how I feel about most pets. I've thought about getting a pet turtle or tortoise [1] because they are my favorite animal, but I found out that in order for them to be happy and healthy they need a lot more room than I could easily fit in my house. Either a very large aquarium or a very large area for them to walk around depending on the species, neither of which I can easily have in my house. And I thin…

I think this is why Kurt Cobain famously kept his turtles in his bathtub.

Re: Bird brains (2023)

#188

Post by bloomingeek » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 10:32 PM UTC

paulryanrogers wrote: post #159

awsanswers wrote: post #69

If you're in tune with animals and spend time around a parrot, it's obvious there is a lot going on in their minds. They have incredible memories and their own understanding of their world. It looks simple to us but they are not simple creatures. That being said, I don't know how a bird lover can keep a bird in a cage.

For those with outdoor cats, please put a bell on their collar. Give the birds a fighting chance.

This is really a good deed.

As a side note, FWIW, we only let our cats outside when we are there to watch them. This is because we don't want our neighbors to dislike our cats for whatever reason. A lot of neighbors use Roundup on their fence lines. And, of course, car traffic.

Re: Bird brains (2023)

#189

Post by bob1029 » Tue, Mar 31, 2026, 12:31 AM UTC

CalRobert wrote: post #120

justonceokay wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel similarly about cats. I absolutely love cats but I didn’t have one for five years because I refuse to own one in an apartment. It seems like people torture animals to make sure that they have some attention when they get home

It’s for the best, house cats torture the birds and frogs around here and I hate it. I never knew frogs could scream.

Cats have completely deleted the rabbit populations in a lot of suburbia. I feel like it got worse around 2020 for some reason. I had to move to the middle of the woods to start seeing them again.

Re: Bird brains (2023)

#190

Post by gnubison » Tue, Mar 31, 2026, 1:32 AM UTC

jrrv wrote: post #37

pcthrowaway wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting... I would have thought Octopi have more total neurons than dogs, given their problem-solving capabilities. Now I wonder if the decentralized organization / hub and spoke model octopi alone exhibit offers some advantage when it comes to problem-solving

Fun fact: octopus does not come from Latin, which would give the plural an -i ending. It comes from Greek, which means that if you want to be particularly correct about your plurals, then the plural is octopodes.

Pronounced octópodes, /ɒkˈtɒpədiːz/, with the -es rhyming with Heracles etc.