# life: landing on a swinging perch: peach-faced lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) prefer extremes.

<< Birds frequently must land safely and accurately on moving branches or power lines, and seemingly accomplish such maneuvers with acrobatic precision. To examine how birds target and land successfully on moving supports, (AA) investigated how peach-faced lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) approach and land on a swinging perch.  >>️

<< In support of (AA) hypothesis for stable landings, lovebirds timed their landings in a majority of trials (51.3%), when the perch was approaching either extreme of its motion with its velocity nearing zero (27.5% in the same direction as the bird’s approach – SDs, and 23.8% in the opposite direction to the bird’s approach – ODs). As a result, lovebirds exhibited a robust bimodal strategy for timing their landing to the phase of the swinging perch. Less commonly, lovebirds landed when the perch was moving at high velocity either toward the bird’s approach (12.3%) or in the same direction as the bird’s approach (11.5%); with the remainder (21.9%) of trials distributed over a broad range of swing phases. >>️

Partha S Bhagavatula, Andrew A. Biewener. Landing on a swinging perch: peach-faced lovebirds prefer extremes. biorxiv.org. Oct 8, 2024.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.07.21.604435v2

Also: behav, birds, extreme, jazz, Mr. Jelly Roll Morton, in: https://www.inkgmr.net/kwrds.html 

Keywords: life, birds, extreme,  behavior, behaviour, jazz, Mr. Jelly Roll Morton

# behav: chaotic (jazz) music generated by songbirds during non-mating seasons for opioid reward

<< when songbirds sing during non-mating seasons, it's because singing releases an opioid naturally produced in their brain —that's right, a compound with the same biological makeup of the highly addictive painkillers. >> 

<< Animals—including birds, including humans—we produce our own endogenous opioids, and they reward behaviors naturally, like sexual behavior or feeding behavior, (..) Studies show that endogenous opioids also make play rewarding. Songbirds learn their songs, and must practice. When we listened to birds practicing in flocks, it almost sounded as if they were playing around with the notes. Darwin even suggested that birds in flocks may be singing for 'their own amusement.' So, we thought if singing is a playful behavior, it should involve opioids. >> Lauren Riters. 

<< in starlings, endogenous opioid-prompted song is evolutionarily advantageous, because singing in flocks allows them an opportunity to practice their song to prepare for the mating season. It might not be the most beautiful to listen to—Riters likened their chaotic song to freeform jazz—but that's okay. To them, it's just a warm-up for when they start looking for a mate. >> 

Songbirds sing, like humans flock, for opioid reward. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Oct 02, 2020. 

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-songbirds-humans-flock-opioid-reward.html

Stevenson, S.A., Piepenburg, A., et al. Endogenous opioids facilitate intrinsically-rewarded birdsong. Sci Rep 10, 11083. doi: 10.1038/ s41598-020-67684-1. Jul 6, 2020.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-67684-1

# behav: a single gene can drive aggression (in wild songbird)

<< In 2014, the lab (Donna Maney lab) identified a hormone receptor—estrogen receptor alpha (ER-alpha)—that appeared connected to the differences in the sparrows' aggression and parenting behaviors in the wild. The white-striped birds express this receptor at much higher levels than the tan-striped birds, and the more the expression, the more aggressive the bird. >>

In the recent work << results showed that when expression of that one gene was blocked, the aggression of the white-striped birds went down so they behaved like the tan-striped ones. >>

Carol Clark. Study shows how a single gene drives aggression in wild songbird.  Emory University. Aug 18, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-gene-aggression-wild-songbird.html   

Jennifer R. Merritt, Kathleen E. Grogan, et al. A supergene-linked estrogen receptor drives alternative phenotypes in a polymorphic songbird. PNAS doi: 10.1073/ pnas.2011347117 Aug 17, 2020.

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/08/14/2011347117

# behav: the pulsating, probabilistic approach among parrots (Nestor notabilis)

<< Parrots can learn to choose based on probability, making them the first animal outside of the great ape family that uses statistical modelling in their decision-making process, >>

<< What was most surprising is that they can integrate social or physical information into their probabilistic judgements, >> Amalia Bastos.

Parrots get probability, use stats to make choices: study.  Mar 3, 2020.

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-03-parrots-probability-stats-choices.html

Amalia P. M. Bastos, Alex H. Taylor. Kea show three signatures of domain-general statistical inference. Nature Communication. Volume 11, Article number: 828. Mar 3, 2020.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-14695-1

Also 

<< Insects are able to solve basic numerical cognition tasks >>

Hannes Rapp, Martin Paul Nawrot, Merav Stern. Numerical Cognition Based on Precise Counting with a Single Spiking Neuron. iScience. Volume 23, Issue 2, 100852. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.100852. Jan 21, 2020.

https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(20)30035-3

Quantifying objects: Bees recognize that six is more than four.  University of Cologne. Mar 2, 2020.

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-03-quantifying-bees.html

# life: they used birds to think about and to predict the future.

<< People around the world and throughout history have used birds to think about and predict the future. >>

<< In the Kalahari, southern Africa, !Xõ hunters carefully watch the black-faced babblers after an antelope hunt for signs of where their wounded prey may be. >>

Felice Wyndham. How birds are used to reveal the future. Feb 26, 2020.

https://theconversation.com/how-birds-are-used-to-reveal-the-future-130844

Ethno-ornithology World Atlas

https://ewatlas.net/collection/birds-tell-people-things

Here are some examples ...

'journalists' birds ...

<< Hummingbirds can bring good or bad news. If someone flies nearby you have to say, "You're going to give me good news!" (It's a saying that comes from the Yshir).>>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/ti%C3%ADnta-polytmus-guainumbi

'ecologist / protester' birds ...

<< If this bird sings at night it warns that white people will be deforesting soon. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/guidob%C3%B3-leptotila-verreauxi

'climatologist' birds ...

<< If one has a gócoco in the house, and the bird digs for a dust bath, it means that the cold weather is coming. It indicates that the weather will be a very rainy and very cloudy weather, but if it sings loud it is warning that the sun will soon rise. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/g%C3%B3coco-chunga-burmeisteri

<< When this bird approaches the Ayoreo village or if you see it in a dive, the noise of its wings warns that a lot of rain will come soon; maybe floods. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/jaac%C3%B3-cairina-moschata

<< This bird announces rain: if it sings in the morning it will rain in the afternoon - she cries because she does not want her nest to get wet. This bird needs high woods and leaves of trees to eat. She is a young lady and she likes young people and always accompanies people every day. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/ngongo%C3%B3-crypturellus-undulatus

<< It may be a warning that if it burns there may be storms or strong winds. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/pi%C3%A1-vireo-olivaceus

<< It says "ti ti ti ti ti ti ti." Warn if the south wind that brings the cold will blow soon. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/totita-hemitriccus-margaritaceiventer-todirostrum-cinereum

Also

keyword 'bird' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=bird

# behav: how (and when) multiple bird species fly and feed together, like a K-pop band

<< Birds of a feather don't always flock together: Peer into a forest canopy, and you will likely spot multiple bird species flying and feeding together, a phenomenon most spectacular in the Amazon where 50 species may travel as a unit. But are birds in these mixed flocks cooperating with one another or competing?  A new study suggests both. >>

<< Species kept competition within the flock low, however, by differentiating their foraging technique, their choice of hunting spot or the general distance they kept from a tree trunk. >>

Natalie Van Hoose. How bird flocks with multiple species behave like K-pop groups. Florida Museum of Natural History.  Feb 12, 2020

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-02-bird-flocks-multiple-species-k-pop.html

Harrison H Jones, Mitchell J Walters, Scott K Robinson. Do similar foragers flock together? Nonbreeding foraging behavior and its impact on mixed-species flocking associations in a subtropical region.  The Auk, ukz079.  doi: 10.1093/auk/ukz079. Feb 12, 2020.

https://academic.oup.com/auk/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/auk/ukz079/5731484

k-pop band  

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-pop