NOVA Season 41 Episode 17 Inside Animal Minds: Bird Genius 2013
When it comes to intelligence, we humans are clearly the most gifted animals around. But what make us so special? Is it our ability to make and use tools? To solve complex problems? Or plan for the future? It might seem that way, but today, researchers are discovering other creatures with impressive brains that have mastered all those skills. Surprisingly, many are bird brains. Crows bend and shape sticks to create custom-made spears for hunting grubs, and they are just one among a growing list of bird species whose impressive problem-solving abilities are shocking scientists and revolutionizing our understanding of animal intelligence. At the head of the class, we meet animals like Muppet, a cockatoo with a talent for picking locks; 007, a wild crow on a mission to solve an eight-step puzzle for the first time ever; and Bran, a tame raven who can solve a puzzle box so quickly that his performance has to be captured with high-speed photography. But are these skills really evidence of high intelligence, or just parlor tricks, the result of training and instinct? To find out, NOVA tests the limits of some of the planet’s brainiest animals, searching for the secrets of a problem-solving mind.
- Released: 2014-04-09
- Runtime: 55 minutes
- Genre: Documentary
- Stars:
- Director:
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1. Ground Zero Supertower 2013-09-11
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2. Megastorm Aftermath 2013-10-09
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3. Making Stuff Faster 2013-10-16
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4. Making Stuff Wilder 2013-10-23
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5. Making Stuff Colder 2013-10-30
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6. Making Stuff Safer 2013-11-06
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7. Cold Case JFK 2013-11-13
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8. At the Edge of Space 2013-11-20
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9. Asteroid: Doomsday or Payday? 2013-11-20
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10. Alien Planets Revealed 2014-01-08
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11. Zeppelin Terror Attack 2014-01-15
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12. Killer Typhoon 2014-01-22
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13. Ghosts of Murdered Kings 2014-01-29
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14. Roman Catacomb Mystery 2014-02-05
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15. Great Cathedral Mystery 2014-02-12
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16. Wild Predator Invasion 2014-04-02
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17. Inside Animal Minds: Bird Genius 2014-04-09
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20. Why Sharks Attack 2014-05-07
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21. Escape From Nazi Alcatraz 2014-05-14
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22. D-Day's Sunken Secrets 2014-05-28
