Mirror-Induced Behavior in the Magpie (Pica pica): Evidence of Self-Recognition

• Published in: PLoS biology Vol. 6; no. 8; p. e202
• Main Authors: Prior, Helmut, Schwarz, Ariane, Güntürkün, Onur
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.08.2008; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Aggressiveness; Animal behavior; Animal cognition; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Birds; Cetacea; Cognitive ability; Comparative studies; Conspecifics; Crows - physiology; Elephantidae; Evolutionary Biology; Experiments; Neuroscience; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Pica pica; Primates; Skills; Social interaction; Songbirds; Visual Perception; Behavior, Animal; Crows; Visual Perception; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Animals
• ISSN: 1545-7885; 1544-9173; 1545-7885
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0060202

Comparative studies suggest that at least some bird species have evolved mental skills similar to those found in humans and apes. This is indicated by feats such as tool use, episodic-like memory, and the ability to use one's own experience in predicting the behavior of conspecifics. It is, however, not yet clear whether these skills are accompanied by an understanding of the self. In apes, self-directed behavior in response to a mirror has been taken as evidence of self-recognition. We investigated mirror-induced behavior in the magpie, a songbird species from the crow family. As in apes, some individuals behaved in front of the mirror as if they were testing behavioral contingencies. When provided with a mark, magpies showed spontaneous mark-directed behavior. Our findings provide the first evidence of mirror self-recognition in a non-mammalian species. They suggest that essential components of human self-recognition have evolved independently in different vertebrate classes with a separate evolutionary history.