Carrion crow (Crow) It can count up to four times based on visual and auditory cues and control the number of times it vocalizes. study Published in the journal Science.
Counting out loud (e.g., reciting 1, 2, 3, etc.) requires an understanding of quantity and controlled, purposeful vocalization.
Humans use language to count and communicate quantity symbolically, which is a complex skill developed during childhood.
Before acquiring symbolic counting, where specific words are associated with specific quantities, infants produce several sounds that correspond to the quantities of objects they see and use these sounds as acoustic counting to communicate the corresponding numbers.
This early human behavior reflects a non-symbolic capacity shared with animals.
Some animals have demonstrated the ability to distinguish between different numbers of objects and communicate information through different numbers of vocalizations.
However, it is unclear whether animals other than humans have the ability to count by intentionally making a specific number of vocalizations.
“The carrion crow, a member of the songbird group, is known not for the beauty of its song but for its incredible learning ability,” Professor Andreas Nieder, researcher University of Tübingen.
“For example, previous studies have shown that birds understand counting.”
“Plus, they have incredible vocal control. They can control exactly whether or not they're going to chirp.”
In this study, Professor Nieder and his co-authors investigated whether carrion crows can control the rate at which they vocalize and solve complex vocal response tasks.
The researchers trained three crows to produce one to four vocalizations in response to both visual (colored numbers) and auditory (distinct sounds) cues associated with numerical values.
On each trial, birds were required to produce a target number of vocalizations and indicate the end of the vocalization sequence by pecking the target.
The researchers found that crows can successfully and purposefully produce a specific number of vocalizations in response to specific cues, a level of control that has not yet been observed in other animals.
The birds used a non-symbolic approximate number system and planned the number of vocalizations before initiating them.
Further analysis showed that the timing and characteristics of the first vocalization predicted the number of subsequent vocalizations, and different acoustic features of the vocalizations indicated their number in a given sequence.
“Our results show that humans are not the only ones who can do this,” Professor Nieder said.
“In principle, this could enable advanced communication with crows.”
_____
Diana A. Liao othersThe year is 2024. Crows “count” the number of cries they make. Science 384(6698):874-877; doi:10.1126/science.adl0984
Source: www.sci.news
