Do birds have self-awareness?

Various recent studies have observed that some birds (corvids and parrots) have developed a series of cognitive tools comparable to those of certain primates and other large mammals.

Although many winged animals have been culturally classified as “intelligent” and “resolute” beings by the general population since ancient times, the truth is that human beings He is more fascinated by what is most similar to him, and that is why most experiments regarding ethology and animal behavior have been directed at large primates in captivity.

This leaves a question in the air that is very difficult to answer: Do birds have self-awareness? From a completely empirical point of view and with a critical perspective, we are going to try to interpret what is known about this topic.

• Related article: "What is Ethology and what is its object of study?"

Do birds have self-awareness? The dilemma of humanization

Ethology is the branch of biology and experimental psychology that studies the behavior of animals, whether in a free-range situation or under laboratory conditions. This scientific discipline is a double-edged sword, since certainly the interpretation of empirical results depends, to a large extent, on the person who observes them.

It is because of that Human beings have been blamed on multiple occasions for “humanizing” animals.. When we see a viral video of a cat massaging the corpse of another feline that has been run over, is it trying to revive it, or is it just settling on a furry surface that still remains warm? Although it sounds cruel, in many cases evolutionary mechanisms do not understand empathy and understanding.

For this reason, and since we move on a “glass” surface of knowledge, it is necessary that we define the term consciousness itself before continuing.

About consciousness

According to the Royal Spanish Academy of Language, one of the most appropriate meanings of the term would be “a mental activity of the subject himself that allows him to feel present in the world and in reality", or what is same, the individual's ability to perceive external objects and differentiate them from events that are the product of their internal functioning.

This complex term encompasses other ideas, since there are other psychological events that are sometimes used as synonyms or related. We give you some examples:

• Awareness of your surroundings (awareness): ability to perceive objects, events and sensory patterns. In biology it is the cognitive response to an event.
• Self-awareness: the ability of an individual to separate themselves from the environment and other living beings, as well as the ability to introspect.
• Self-awareness: an acute type of self-knowledge, where concern and reflection about the individual state arise.
• Sentience: the ability to perceive or experience situations or events subjectively.
• Sapience: the ability of an organism to act with appropriate judgment, characteristic of an intelligent individual.
• Qualia: the subjective qualities of individual experiences.

As we can see, we are faced with a terminological hodgepodge that escapes classical ethology and is immersed in the roots of human philosophy. For example, terms like self-knowledge and self-awareness are interchangeable in many cases depending on who uses them. We leave it to readers to decide whether or not to accept this terminological variety.

The importance of differentiation of being

There is no doubt that in the animal world, self-differentiation in the face of external elements must be present in all living beings (at least vertebrates). For example, This discrimination is carried out at a physiological level on a continuous basis., since the immune system of animals identifies external elements of their own being and fights them, such as viruses and bacteria that are harmful to the host.

Not everything is reduced to a cellular level, since the differentiation between beings of other species and conspecifics is also essential when interacting with the environment. If a prey is not able to differentiate its own species from potential predators, how could survival exist? Of course, Without this basal capacity for differentiation, natural selection and evolution as we know them today would not exist..

But from differentiating a danger to self-awareness there are several thousand figurative kilometers away. Luckily, there are some types of experiments that try to limit these limits and get us closer to relatively definitive answers.

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The mirror experiment

One of the most common tests when quantifying the level of self-awareness in animals is the mirror test. Designed by Gordon G. Gallup, this experiment is based on place some type of marking on the animal that it cannot perceive when looking at its body, but that is reflected in his figure when exposed to a mirror.

The usual primary response in the animal is usually to treat its own reflection as if it were another individual, showing defense responses or other social cues in the mirror. After this, however, certain animals such as higher primates, elephants or dolphins end up “understanding” that this figure is about of themselves, and use the mirror to explore parts of their body that they had not been able to see before or to touch the marked area, thus recognizing that they are capable of correlating the structural modification that they have suffered with the body that is reflected in the glass.

As far as birds are concerned, only the magpies and crows of India have passed this test successfully, but not without various controversies to take into account. Some authors call this experiment ethologically invalid and based on a flawed methodology.. For them, this self-recognition test in the mirror is nothing more than a sensorimotor response based on kinesthetic and visual stimuli. It should be noted that the rest of the birds tested did not pass this test with positive results.

This means that birds have no self-awareness in general beyond two or three isolated species, right? Of course not. For example, in experiments with gray parrots it has been observed that when discriminating objects, on some occasions, They are able to rely on the mirror reflection to obtain more information regarding spatial differentiation. refers. That is, parrots are able to understand (at least to some extent) the difference between direct vision of an object and that perceived through a mirror.

Another example is the response of certain corvids to the presence of their own reflection.. In the natural environment, these birds tend to hide their food more often when observed, since the risk of the food being stolen by another conspecific is higher. When these corvids were given food in front of a mirror, they showed typical behaviors in a moment of solitude when handling the food. If these animals were not aware to some extent of their “own being”, they would rush to protect their food for fear that the reflected individual would steal it, right?

• You may be interested: "The self-awareness mirror test: what it is and how it is used in animals"

A sea of ​​considerations

Although the marking experiment and the subsequent recognition of the individual's body in the mirror reflection has given disastrous results in almost all bird species, certain birds have shown that they are capable of using mirrors and their own reflection in research with complex methodology.

Various scientific sources postulate, therefore, that this test may not be appropriate in the world of birds. Perhaps they are not able to perceive themselves in the mirror, or perhaps their morphological peculiarities and behavioral problems (such as the absence of arms) prevent them from translating their mental process in a satisfactory. If the ability of a fish to adapt to the environment is tested by having it climb a tree, surely the postulated result is that this animal is the worst adapted on Earth to any ecosystem.

Conclusions

As we can see, to the question of whether birds are self-aware, we cannot give a safe and reliable answer. Yes, magpies have passed the reflex test and therefore in several scientific centers they are considered self-aware, but there are increasingly more detractors and skeptics of this methodology.

Besides, This does not mean that the cognitive capacity of birds is questioned.. Many of them are capable of solving complex problems and show neurological abilities similar to those of various primates, and the more The more research methods are refined, the more it is established that consciousness in the animal world is more widespread than we initially believed.

Bibliographic references:

• Baciadonna, L., Cornero, F.M., Emery, N.J., & Clayton, N.S. (2020). Convergent evolution of complex cognition: Insights from the field of avian cognition into the study of self-awareness. Learning & Behavior, 1-14.
• Derégnaucourt, S., & Bovet, D. (2016). The perception of self in birds. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 69, 1-14.