Interesting failure: Australian Magpies outperformed researchers

Listen to the conversation with Dirk Draulans on ‘Nieuwe Feiten’ via Radio 1 Select

The researchers left no stone unturned. With their new GPS trackers, they wanted to map the complex social structure of the Australian MacBook. They even thought about the battery life of small transmitters. To this end, they have developed a feeding board that can automatically charge the batteries. The GPS trackers were in a saddle, which was also tested in detail to prevent them from coming out in principle.

Never underestimate Macbeth

However, they underestimated the birds. Within fifteen minutes the Macbeths were trying to help each other, and they were able to remove the first transmitter. They did this by punching their hook, a millimeter piece, into the weak spot, thus loosening the saddle. Three days later, all five birds were released from the GPS trackers. It is noteworthy that even birds without a transmitter helped. So the study failed, but they were able to observe another rarely observed social phenomenon: cooperative recovery behavior.

“It looks very benevolent”

According to the researchers, this is the first study to report the removal of GPS trackers by peers. Biologists say that this provides additional evidence that Macbeth is an intelligent animal because it requires a very high degree of problem-solving thinking.

Dominic Botwin, one of the ornithologists involved in the study, told CBC News: “You can bite after cleaning a parasite from another bird, but it’s nothing to them. They can strengthen their social ties, but in reality, it seems very benevolent.”

Still not interested?

Biologist Dirk Drone Macbeth explains that he does not really do this unselfishly: “In the animal kingdom there is always a background of social security, where you invest in a social system so you can get help for yourself when you need it.” “It cannot be said that animals have no emotions, but compassion is a rare phenomenon in the animal world,” he says.

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Listen to the conversation with Dirk Draulans on ‘Nieuwe Feiten’ via Radio 1 Select

Source: vrtnws.be And ‘new facts’

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