Birds are stupid. Let me tell you why.

[Rabrrrrrr]

A few days ago, I couldn't get my open patio door open very far because of the snow piled up against it, and the patio itself was covered in snow, and so I didn't feel like walking to the bird feeder anyway.

So, I took a big scoop of sunflower seeds and put them in a pile a bit outside the door, so that the poor birds would still have some food.

stupid birds, instead of taking a seed and then moving away to drop the shells OUT of the giant of seeds, just stand right in it and drop the shells ON TOP OF the pile of seed. After a few minutes of this, of course, all the birds have to start hunting for the shells that still have seeds in them in this giant pile of jumbled crap that becomes, with every seed eaten, a great percentage of useless spent shells and a smaller percentage of usable shells.

Why do they do this?

It's utterly illogical.

I bet birds on Vulcan are smart enough to drop their shells in a non-food area, and to squawk at and reprimand any bird dumb enough to drop their spent shells on top of the good ones.

[MiddleFingerMom]

1. Okay, be honest: when you hear the term, "Spock-fighting ring"... n/t

[Angry Dragon]

2. It is a bird game called Find the Seed

[geardaddy]

8. That's sounds like a euphemism

for bird sex or something.

:hide:

[Angry Dragon]

17. SEX!! .... SEX!! ....... SEX!!

Is that all you have on your mind??

:applause: :hi:

[geardaddy]

28. Not quite

But it's in the top 2.

:hi:

[TZ]

3. it takes less energy to go through a pile of seeds than to fly away

and come back. Also, its more likely that by leaving a food pile, even briefly the bird will lose out on food to competitors. So the bird who flies/walks away to drop a shell will have a small competitive disadavantage and will be selected out. Its not "stupidity" its about survival.
*nice to use my zoology/animal behavior degree occasionally*

[petronius]

22. One time I watched a bunch of pigeons and sparrows eating at the same pile of bread crumbs

The pigeons were extremely aggressive about chasing other pigeons away, spending more time on that than eating, but they didn't seem to notice the sparrows at all. The end result was that the sparrows got most of the food.

It's puzzled me for a long time (my only conclusion is that birds are stupid) - how about you bust out that degree one more time and give me a better explanation? :)

[TZ]

29. pigeons are stupid birds but generally well fed.

The large amounts of food easily obtained in the cities have given them large populations of less efficient eaters. In other words, they don't have to work hard to find enough food to eat so their aggressive behavior doesn't hurt them survival wise.
In a rural snow covered area where seeds are hard to come by, its a different story.

[LynneSin]

4. And don't forget they'll crap on those seeds too

:D

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

5. They don't call 'em "bird-brains" for nothin'

Once I saw a chicken hop up on the grill and start eating a chicken that was cooking. Guess who's feathers were on fire, and guess who didn't realize it?

Birds. Proof that there is no Intelligent Design.

:hi:

[trof]

12. Beat me to it.

[Brigid]

16. You made that up.

Come on, admit it. ;)

[RedCloud]

6. on behalf of my African gray, I take great umbrage at them there words.

[Demoiselle]

14. You have an African Gray?

I envy you. I love those big smart birds, but I'm too old to adopt one. Making do with dogs and cats.
And, by the way, how can a creature that can fly be all that dumb?

[nolabear]

24. I have an African Gray too. She's smarter than the dogs.

And has a tremendous personality and sense of humor. She throws HER seeds onto the floor to lure the dogs over and then hangs off her cage and grabs them. They all enjoy that quite a lot.

[Digit]

26. I am also a grey owner, well actually

SHE rules the roost.

To really get at me, she will toss her food outside of her cage on the floor, then watch for my reaction.

She calls the cat to try to torture her, but my cat knows better.

I would guess birds are more fun than a barrel of monkeys...monkey poop and all that.

[Bunny]

7. I hate birds.

They're disease-ridden dumbasses.

[Richardo]

10. That describes many groups of everything

:rofl:

:hi: :loveya:

[Fire Walk With Me]

9. Sure Vulcan birds are smarter, but every seven years you'd not want to be around.

[TEXASYANKEE]

11. Probably for the same reason

that they perch backwards and poop *inside* the birdbath.

[trof]

13. My mother-in-law on chickens:

She had a chicken yard.
They gave the best 'yard eggs' I've ever had.
The yolks were orange.

Anyway...
"Chickens get reborn every morning.
They wake up in a brand new life.
They got absolutely NO memory of what might have happened to them the day before.
Hell, the HOUR before.
Chickens are the dumbest critters on earth."

The lady knew her chickens.
;-)

[Moondog]

15. Birds -

also known as cat food.

[JitterbugPerfume]

18. the on;ly animal more stupid than a chicken is a turkey

[SOteric]

19. You may have a point, Rabrrrrrr, my dear friend...

But I could swear the crows in my parking lot have a detailed agenda and fly strategic targeting missions.

[david13]

20. As a representative of the animals, albeit of a different species,

let me say; it is your fault. You are supposed to put the seeds in a long line of one seed at a time, not all in one large pile.
dc

[Flaxbee]

21. most of them might not be terribly bright by our standards, but they are beautiful

and, magpies hold funerals (or, maybe 'memorial services') for their dead. Stupid does not mean without feelings.

[nolabear]

23. Oh yeah? Who craps on who?

:rofl:

[Kat45]

25. Birds are actually quite intelligent.

Check out the Alex studies by Dr. Irene Pepperberg on Ales the African Grey.

Someone else answered that if the bird leaves the pile, he will lose out to other birds, who will eat the seeds first. Birds also like to forage, and they're foraging in that pile of seed.

[LaraMN]

27. Moreover, they are assholes.

Case in point: I've been getting some serious sass from a particular crow who likes to sit on a power line over my garage and mock my parking skills.

[old mark]

30. I just bought 25 pounds of wild bird seed...what does that make me?...nt