06 August 2009

African honeyguide birds communicate with humans


In this 3-minute segment from a BBC series, David Attenborough introduces the honeyguide, a bird that intentionally communicates with humans. This Kenyan bird has presumably been interacting with humans (and perhaps other mammals) for thousands of years, directing them to locations were African honeybee colonies can be found. After the mammal raids the honeycomb, the bird can enjoy the leftovers

Although it's not mentioned in this video excerpt, I believe a similar interaction has been claimed by North American hunters with regard to crows and ravens, which by legend and modern stories will lead a hunter toward a deer, knowing that after the animal is killed and field-dressed, there will be lots of carrion to enjoy.

Via The Presurfer.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...