What are your thoughts and experiences? Do birds PLAY?
(Mammals clearly do)
Sandy
Posted by Peter Cross on March 7, 2012 at 12:47 AM
I believe they do. I remember a birding trip to Monhegan Island off the Maine coast to see what we could of the fall migration. We were on the southern point of the island and we were watching a merlin heading out over the water. We then saw it grab a monarch butterfly, then migrating as well, and it did a couple of barrel rolls and released the butterfly. Both then contained on their respective ways. My wife and I both thought the merlin did it for it's own enjoyment. So I would have to agree with that supposition that birds (and other animals) do play at times.
Posted by Brian Gatlin on March 7, 2012 at 8:06 AM
Ravens certainly do. Acrobatics such as flipping over midair and even doing full rolls, dropping and catching rocks, moving rocks from foot to bill and back again over and over while flying. All of these seem like examples of play to me.
Posted by Harry Harris on March 7, 2012 at 10:06 AM
I take my Avian Photography serious and I want the birds to do the same. I lug my heavy gear out to a place to obtain some images of beautiful birds so I do not want any playing around. lol. Really, I hope they do play. I have seen Red-tail hawks soaring around each other and play fighting ( it seems to me) but someone there said they were courting. I hope it was play.
Posted by Dennis Plank on March 7, 2012 at 12:22 PM
Watch the youngsters sometime. Of course they play. The white-crowned Sparrows and Pine Siskin juveniles are always playing around our back yard at the right time of year.
Posted by David Graham on March 7, 2012 at 12:31 PM
I'm convinced that "play behavior" is natural to many species of birds as it is to many mammal species...and its not limited to juveniles! There are certainly many examples of juveniles engaging in putative play behavior which, when engaged in by adults, is clearly courtship behavior. One of the memorable image's I hope may be in my mind at last expiration is of adult Lapland Plovers reveling in performing aerobatics in gale winds over the Orkney islands for, seemingly, the pure, egregious joy of it and of showing off. The fierce winds had grounded the big curlews which were huddled as closeto the ground as possible, facing into the wind, while the plovers were performing repeated "wing- overs" and down-wind tumbles and occasionally buzzing the grounded curlews in what I could interpreted as naught but a taunting manner.
Was it play? Did the plovers experience the exultation that an able human athlete knows and seeks thru extending his or her exertions to the limits of the stretched envelope? I have no definitive answer...,but to my mind there is no other explanation for behaviors exhibited by animals that approach those of "extreme athleticism" in humans and far exceed mere "utilitarian" behaviors and actions. Indeed, I perceive "play" and "art" from rather similar perspectives in this regard.
Dear Sandy
as soon as I read your comment to that picture I posted the one of a gull playing with a bottle. I have other pictures showing birds at play, and I just posted another one of a little egret playing with a small stick in my online portfolio on PhotoPortfolio.net at the following URL.
When I photographed the gull with the bottle I studied a lot about the reasons why we and other animals play.
I found a bunch of articles that explain that nature doesn't do anything without a good reasons.
The games that we and other animals play are based on the ability to run, jump, hung up on a branch of a tree or fly up and down; sometimes games require the use of a tool (the bottle, the stick, or whatever the darter was tossing in the air...).
Other animals play "social games" in which they simulate fighting, hunting, eluding a threat and so on.
They seem to be non-productive activities as they are not directly related to food or reproduction...
Nonetheless, if they spend time and energies at play, it is because they improve their motor ability and their coordination, and this can eventually result in a greater chance to survive.
A sort of training for survival!
Common Ravens certainly play. When the wind is out of the northeast here, the buildings downtown create updrafts and eddies. The Ravens play in those air currents. They hover, dive, soar, fly upside down, play tag and generally act like school kids at recess. And they do it for hours at a time, No purpose but fun.
One of the best example for playing birds, are homing pigeons. There are hundreds of different kind pigeon. Some of them realy has very attractive playing behaviour. But according to researchers, some of this playing action not only for play but mainly, a sort of genetic formation due to the instinctive defensive action against predators.
Buy the way, I have several kind of playing pigeon in my farm. Some of them realy good player. İf one day I could succed out to good quality shot a pigeon playing movie, I 'll share here in this forum.
Discussion
10 replieshttp://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=vp&pr=188636&CGISESSID=15fb7a58b7488dd37bdfbe9311db445d&u=28403
For me, that raises the issue of birds "playing".
What are your thoughts and experiences? Do birds PLAY?
(Mammals clearly do)
Sandy
Was it play? Did the plovers experience the exultation that an able human athlete knows and seeks thru extending his or her exertions to the limits of the stretched envelope? I have no definitive answer...,but to my mind there is no other explanation for behaviors exhibited by animals that approach those of "extreme athleticism" in humans and far exceed mere "utilitarian" behaviors and actions. Indeed, I perceive "play" and "art" from rather similar perspectives in this regard.
Dave Graham
East River, SD
as soon as I read your comment to that picture I posted the one of a gull playing with a bottle. I have other pictures showing birds at play, and I just posted another one of a little egret playing with a small stick in my online portfolio on PhotoPortfolio.net at the following URL.
http://www.photoportfolios.net/portfolio/pf.cgi?a=up&ns=1&pi=RICCARDO.RONDINONE&CGISESSID=f788cbd62e0c60aa0b4326495f3ec64b&u=24570
When I photographed the gull with the bottle I studied a lot about the reasons why we and other animals play.
I found a bunch of articles that explain that nature doesn't do anything without a good reasons.
The games that we and other animals play are based on the ability to run, jump, hung up on a branch of a tree or fly up and down; sometimes games require the use of a tool (the bottle, the stick, or whatever the darter was tossing in the air...).
Other animals play "social games" in which they simulate fighting, hunting, eluding a threat and so on.
They seem to be non-productive activities as they are not directly related to food or reproduction...
Nonetheless, if they spend time and energies at play, it is because they improve their motor ability and their coordination, and this can eventually result in a greater chance to survive.
A sort of training for survival!
My regards to all the friends of NPN
Riccardo
link and link2
Buy the way, I have several kind of playing pigeon in my farm. Some of them realy good player. İf one day I could succed out to good quality shot a pigeon playing movie, I 'll share here in this forum.