Bird Brain
Season 44 Episode 20 | 53m 30s
Watch astonishing tests of avian aptitude: parrots that can plan for the future, jackdaws that can “read” human faces, and crows that can solve multi-step puzzles with tools like pebbles, sticks, and hooks. Could these just be clever tricks, based on instinct or triggered by subtle cues from their human handlers?
Aired: 12/20/17
Expires: 12/19/20
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NOVA
Bird Brain
How Smart Are Animals?
Dogs, dolphins, parrots and even octopuses (mere mollusks!) may be smarter than you think.
The Mysteries of Optic Flow
Birds use a trick of the eye called “optic flow” to zip through forests without colliding.
Songbirds as Clues to Creativity
The way birds construct their songs could give us insight into the nature of creativity.
Bird Brains: Expert Q&A
Ofer Tchernichovski studies bird brains and vocal learning at the City College of New York
