Biologists from New Zealand have once again surprised their abilities new Caledonian crows. These birds are, it appears, are able to link in your mind visible for them the action with its hidden source. In other words, for them is not difficult to detect a causal link between the two events. As such, even not all mammals can.

Many zoologists have long had the impression that the nature has created new Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides) only to scientists did not cease to be surprised. These birds are constantly demonstrate their incredible capacity for analytical thinking and conscious behavior that they, frankly, are not inferior to those of apes. These birds geniuses were able to convince the most distrustful of scientists that birds may not be more stupid than mammals.

Recently zoologists from new Zealand University of Auckland was able to ensure that new Caledonian crows can set the dependence of one phenomenon from another, that is, use that method of analysis, which we call causation. Moreover, they are well distinguished random situation from the natural. Such ability can demonstrate even not all mammals, and as for the birds, they rudiments of logical thinking (and it is, as we know, is based on identifying cause-effect relationships) were discovered for the first time.

Select black robbers with New Caledonia as a test object, the scientists explained simply - it is well known that these birds often use different tools. Especially clever they are in dealing with different sticks. It was important for the subsequent experiments - because the stick there played a considerable role.

So, first zoologists have caught some birds of different ages and placed them in the spacious outdoor aviary. Thus their very peculiar fed - food was placed in a special box, from which it was possible to reach only by a thin rod. In a few days crows mastered this is a quite simple way of obtaining food, and as soon as they have coped with this task, the second phase of the experiment.

Near the spot where the test subjects had food, scientists have put a screen with a hole, in which you could put a stick. What is so constantly and made one of the experimenters he'd put in the hole stick and moved her just at the moment when the Raven using the wand got food, by manipulating the twig. The difficulty for birds lay in the fact that when it happened, they did not see, does the stick itself or anyone to help. However, some experiments crows first watched as the man went into the screen, and in another series of experiments he was transferred there, secretly, in the moment when they were busy with something else.

In the end, it turned out that in both cases the birds behave differently. If they saw the man who disappeared behind the screen, and then out of the hole appeared stick and several times was moving back and forth, and then the experimenter again came out from behind the screen, it was completely calm. But in the situation when the manipulator them was not visible until the beginning of the experiment, crow showed great concern and all the while trying to keep the hole, where he appeared mysterious dancing stick in my field of vision. However, it is still not particularly they are scared because when she stopped moving, birds flew up to the manger and was taken to get the treat.

In an article published in the journal PNAS, zoologists presented its interpretation of the results of this experiment. They believe that crows was nervous during the second series of experiments, because did not understand why stick suddenly started to move. Based on their considerable experience (and all crows are very observant), that should never happen in themselves to not stick dance. They need someone to move, but in this case they didn't know who does it. Therefore, conclude researchers, intelligent birds suggested that lurks behind the screen of someone unknown, from which it is not clear what to expect, so we were careful.

But if the ravens have seen that before movements stick for a screen comes person, I immediately understood that it was he makes all observable their actions. Then the birds immediately calmed down: stick was not afraid, because with experimentalists they have already met and knew that they can be trusted - they just have not hurt. That is, in any case feathered smart understood that there must be someone who moves the stick, and while it remained hidden and incomprehensible, invisible, it was worth the watch. But if you are able to determine who it is, " then another thing, you can relax and enjoy lunch.

Interestingly, similar experiments with children have shown that they begin to suspect "agent actions" - only to seven months of age. So we can say that the mental capacity of new Caledonian crows are on the level of development of the seven-month-old baby. However, they have enough of that in order to survive.

And at the same time, this study showed that the foundations of logical thinking in all living beings are the same. Even if you're a bird, though man, it all starts with the same - to establish a causal link...