Bird Relationships | Mates for Life
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Birds that stay with one partner year after year is pretty rare in the natural world. Yes, many species are monogamous, in fact, 90 percent of the world's bird species are, but monogamy in birds isn't the same as mating for life.
Sandhill Crane video by / wanderingsoletv
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Thanks, Leslie. I justTweeted a link to this video. Your story of the Bluejay pair, where one was dying really touched my heart 💔
#ValentinesDay
I posting this has my Valentine's wish to my family and friends. Thank you Leslie!
Happy Valentines day! I believe there is love between them and their family bond, no question.
I love you're bird nerd diaries I have just been playing you're videos since I found you. I enjoy them and I play them for my 2 cats as well my cat Annabelle loves watching them ☺ I would love for you to continue making those videos I do like you're other content too. I really hope you are doing well thank you for creating these there beautiful. I think the whole thing is beautiful.
I definitely think birds have emotions. Several years ago, I knew a pair of wild Mallards who had mated for life. When the female passed away, her mate sat in the yard, hardly ate for days, & acted depressed. He never paired up with another female after losing her. My avatar is a picture of his mate because she was was such a special bird.
Ayy, duck/mallard enthusiasts rise up ✊
Idk why this was a trigger, but animals most def mourn when someone they’re close to passes on. It’s wild to experience in the flesh if they’re semi-wild cause you can’t even truly console them & that’s beyond the scope of household pets mourning which is intense in itself. That’s love. They be really caring.
I'm sorry but that made me laugh seen your now profile picture
Qq0
My man Mallard mating with an Orca, what an absolute lad.
1:39 "Finding a mate takes a lot of time and energy"
True dat
All the good birds are taken - LOL
Birds cheat a lot.
...and only the really lucky, persistent, determined ones succeed, ...and that goes for the birds too. ❤️
Yes birds have emotions. Have Amazon parrots and the emotions they show are obvious most of the time.
Birds are so fascinating. They can sing, dance, build their own houses (like the rufous hornero) some can even imitate human speech (only birds can do this)
I sometimes see birds dancing to popular music and my question is.. how do they even know that they have to dance or even move to the music?? Birds are truly amazing creatures.
Parrots in particular seem to love music.
Yea that's a good question. Especially with parrots, they seem to really enjoy dancing along to the music. It's truly fascinating. I wonder if maybe it's something they learned from their owner? Even still, it's pretty neat
@@LesleytheBirdNerd I sometimes think that birds are closer to us than we think. They are the only creatures that can PROPERLY walk on two legs as well, just like us. Their courtship dances and rituals are very similar to humans that are “in love”..cats, dogs, and other mammals don’t build nests, dance, offer food, beautiful blue objects, clean the site in which they are going to perform in order to impress a potential mate, learn new songs and add to their repertoire, develop special “language” to show their emotions, such anger, fear, wake up early in the morning to sing and signal other birds that they have made it through the night as if they were saying good morning..I am all right. Call their mate when they feel alone or have found a bounty in someone’s backyard, remember faces and episodes important to them, be in constant alert for predators (their equivalent for bad people). There’s definitely more to these creatures than we know. Some of these little birds such chickadees are extremely inspiring. They teach us how to complain less and live more. They wake up in the morning singing “hey sweetie” it doesn’t get any better than that. 🐦💓💓💓
Two wild hens came to visit my mom and one was always jealous of the other one when she fed them. They would fly up a tree to sleep at night. They have different personalities and were very smart.
When you mentioned that staying with one mate helps a pair to raise nestlings better, I got the image of two birds having a post-breeding season discussion about what they did right and what they could improve for the next season.
"Tommy's weird obsession with that neighbor girl's feet is all the proof I need to know that the next clutch won't be allowed on the internet."
They definitely feel loss. One of my budgies died recently. The others were depressed for weeks after.
there was a mated pair of california scrub jays that made my house their territory. when the male became sick, the female remained very close to him at all times, feeding him and keeping other birds away. he lingered for 3 weeks but did not make it. the female found another mate and lived almost two more years. i named these two birds Oddie and Scruffy, and I think about them almost every day, and I miss them terribly.
There is one very vocal blue Jay who reminds me of his standing order of peanuts for breakfast... and he has shown love for not only his mate and other blue jays but other birds in the neighborhood as well. Back when I had a bird feeder up (before they banned it) he would announce to everyone in the neighborhood when I was refilled. Minutes later the other species would begin flying in for their breakfast. It was fascinating. I knew he was the one telling them because I could hear him flying all around and yelling! He knocks on the window or taps on the gutter (if there’s no snow) if I am late putting out those peanuts. He knows where the webcam is and stares right into the lens as if to say “can I place an order?”
I do believe that birds have emotions since I use to have a pair of Mourning Doves that nested on my porch in my early high school years. One night the male arrived late to the nest for his turn to incubate the eggs and the female kept fussing at him for being late almost like she was upset with him and I'll never forget that.
I definitely agree they do feel some kind of love, I mean some even appear to grieve for their dead, right? Doesn’t that alone suggest they feel some kind of deeper love/attachment to that individual beyond just their usefulness to them in terms of survival?
I totally agree!
We may never know, but I like to think there is love there. Stronger than survival 💗
That reminds me of something I watched on TV years ago about how elephants will form a "funeral procession" and take turns saying goodbye to an elephant in their family that has died. They will even go back to the same area as years go by and feel the bones with their trunks. No one can tell me that that is not love!
@@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane yea it's surprising how many animals exhibit that grieving type of behavior, really goes to show that we underestimate how emotionally complex and intelligent many animals are.
@@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane I've seen this on the documentary Elephant Queen. 😥
Well my wife was watching outside when another larger bird attacked a Robin and killed it with on blow of its beak to the head of the Robin. The mate of the killed Robin sat there all day beside its dead mate. So yes I
believe that there is a kind of love that these bird have for their mates. Thank you for your great videos.
Awwwwwwwwww!!!!
If a cat or dog can show affection, why not birds? Penguins choose a mate for life & they cuddle & sing to each other. I raise monarch butterflies every year. Last yr, 1 emerged underdeveloped, & couldn't fly. I took care of it until he died. I took him to Subway, my aunt's house, etc. He liked being with me, riding on my shoulder, hand, etc. I talked to Fred every day. He hung out with me when I watched TV. I miss him (2 blk dots bottom of wings, means it's male). Also, i used to have goldfish in a 55vgal. tank. A fantasy, Robert, loved to be petted. I'd wiggle my fingers in the water. There were many beautiful goldfish, but only Robert came to my hand so I could pet him.
I think this is why we humans use the expression "lovey dovey".
So insighful. it will make me rethink how the Birds around me interact with one another. The Blue Jay looks like a very smart animal
Touching St. Valentines Day video for us "birders".
Have to admit that the sight and/or sound of a Blue Jay often makes me think of Lesley.
I sincerely hope these birds have a place in their hearts for their mates.
Happy Valentine's day to you I enjoy your vids very much I have been a bird lover for over 60 years.our love should never be baced on feelings or emotions but by our actions will our love be proven that's the God did it.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Tom. I do get a few people saying that Blue Jays make them think of me :) I can totally understand why. Thanks for the nice comment.
I counted 23 species of birds on the driveway one winter. I sit in the woods and watch birds digging life out of the environment. SHRIKES are one of my favorites. OWLS are very EXCLUSIVE monarchs of the woods! Here in LOUISIANA, PILEATED WOODPECKERS defended the nest from a gang of CROWS, the level of RUCKUS was frightful.
I think many birds are hardwired to include caring and affection among other habits.
It's a full time job.They're wonderful to watch and listen to. I'm fortunate having four
bluebirds visit my feeder daily. Thanks for sharing that touching story about the jays.
Very informative video, chickadee and bluejay are so cute ☺️☺️☺️Happy Valentine’s Day everyone ♥️❤️☺️🐦🐦🐦 I like to believe that birds love each other too 😍🐦🐦🐦
Me, too, especially when I see Cardinals courtship feed. I know they’re not technically kissing, but it looks like they are, and it’s so adorable!
@@BirdsandGhibliFan I’ve seen a male cardinal feed a baby too. Got pictures of it!
@@BirdsandGhibliFan very cute ☺️❤️🐦🐦
@@Fritaly I have seen that, too. I think I saw a female cardinal feed a fledgling once, but I saw male cardinals feed fledglings a lot more. They’re such devotional parents, and the fledglings can be cute, too! ☺️🐦🐣❤️
This was lovely! Thank you! I agree with your thoughts, Lesley, mainly because of your knowledge and experience. But also, I saw a vid about an eagle pair some months ago. A female eagle had collapsed on the grounds of a wildlife rehab facility in Canada. For the month she was there (from lead poisoning, it turned out), her mate stayed nearby, either circling the facility or in the trees outside it, only leaving to bring her food, which he'd drop in the yard. At night he'd sleep in a tree next to the facility. This went on for the entire month she was there. When she'd recovered and was released she circled till they found each other. They were as overjoyed to be together again as any humans. After greeting each other they landed on a tree branch together and squawked back and forth to each so loudly they attracted the attention of passersby, as though they were talking about the past weeks. Then they flew off together. Every time I watch this video, I cry the whole time and I know there's so much more to birds and animals than we humans can ever comprehend.
I think birds can feel love, too. Maybe not in the exact same way as humans, but something close to it. When you were describing how Oxford was helping Indigo while she was sick, it reminded me of my dad and how he gave my mom mouth-to-mouth when she was hyperventilating while infected with COVID-19. He risked getting infected in the process, but his love for my mom seemed to give him a protective instinct to keep my mom breathing, even when he knew he could be sacrificing his own life. Thankfully, they both recovered, but your story instantly brought those vivid memories back in my head. On a side note, I don’t think I have ever seen crows preen each other in real life (even though I would really like to), but I have seen a lot of mourning doves preen and mate in real life, and on video. Thanks for sharing, and Happy Valentine’s Day!
If the choice of a mate is based on value (bright feathers, agility...) And proven over a season then some form of identity is established. They know they are valued to each other. This is also the foundation for human love though probably not taken to our extreme need of validation.
What we call love is no different than what they call love. We just have a better way of tricking our complex purple noodle into rationalizing it. They are less complicated, Therefore they require less complication to feel the same bond.
Most animals (like us)feel a sense of companionship with others. Its a necessity for survival. Even in human history, the places that created societies and had exposure to other people developed faster than the rest. It’s the natural order of things.
@@largemouthbass355 True. #1 key to survival -> know your enemy.
If human beings would only just heed the examples of commitment made by birds, we would have a wonderful world!
I don't think the romantic type of love is special. And I am started to think that the romantic type of love isn't real. I mean about more than half of romantic couples either break up with each other or divorce each other. I think humans should just ditch concepts like dating, marriage, and pair bonding. I feel like this world would be a much better place without romance than it is with it.
In my opinion, romantic love should not be on the highest pedestal. In my opinion, parents and siblings' family love is the strongest. Family knows who you are. Romance is fake for lots of people, put on a false persona and romance on most parts gets ugly real fast. For the reality of romance is no Disney love story.
Parents and siblings' family love is one of the strongest types of love there is. If romantic love is actually real, it would be one of the weakest types of love there is.
Yes, I think all animals are capable of much more than we give them credit for. Emotions included. TFS!
I think they do have feelings for those they “love”. I tell my students all the time “ Animals have little lives. They have a purpose, and they have feelings.”
Which is why they should never be eaten.
Happy Valentine's day birds are my favorite animal
I think birds have emotions and feelings of love just like we do, very well put Leslie, though we call it love, Love is just a word, Oxford proved that he would do exactly what we would do for a sick spouse, we are all creatures from the same earth and we all have the same emotions, I wish that all the human race would apply the same devotion and love that birds and animals give, Happy Valentine's Leslie 💖
My parrot, bob and I have been together for 12 years. He is very affectionate and just loves to cuddle.
I think they feel love for each other.
I had a friend live with me for a few months till he got back on his feet. He was subjected to my backyard birding on a daily basis. At first he told me that Blue Jays were nasty little bully birds that attacked other birds and didn't like them. I said little. After observing them for just a week, he saw how complex and thoughtful they were. He watched them think out his presence (they were only used to me at that point). He watched them choose just the right peanuts. He watched them interact with each other and us. Then he apologized. He never saw any nasty behavior and he realized that they were quite intelligent, which if course - made me happy.
Yes, if Blue Jays could convey their thoughts in human speech, we would hear an encyclopedia full of their thoughts AND moods!! I just love those Blue Jays!
Excellent video I loved it! That was so cute and yet so sad about indigo and her mate. The northern royal albatross really do indeed seem to love each other, if you watch the nest cam at taiaroa head you can really see this. Thanks for the great video !
Thank you. I miss Indigo still to this day. She was my sunshine. I felt helpless while she was sick.
I think albatrosses definitley love, they are something else to watch.
Of course animals have feelings. Anyone who has ever kept a bird as a pet knows they are capable of love. Scientists try so very hard not to anthropomorphize that they all too often go overboard and deny that animals performing the exact same actions as humans could possibly do so from the same cause, when generally speaking the simplest explanation tends to be the true one. I'm not saying birds that mate for life have the same exact feelings for each other that humans do (great variety there as well, by the way!), but clearly their lifelong mate isn't interchangeable with any other bird out there.
awww birds can celebrate valentines day too ;-)
Yes, I too believe they feel love & care for each other. Watching them in the backyard, I see it over & over💞🐧🐦🐤🐣Happy ❤️Day❣️
Happy Valentines Day, Leslie. Perfect video for today😉🥰
I had this cardinal pair frequently visit my feeders before and they were everywhere together! But sometimes when the female would eat too much seeds the male would get mad and attack her 😄 but they would perch next each other and it’s just the cutest thing seeing animals actually show love and care for each other. ☺️
Hahaha that is too funny. Thanks for sharing.
@@LesleytheBirdNerd no problem Lesley!
That shot at the end was amazing, the mountains with the Blue Jays on that branch was spectacular.
This is the perfect video for Valentines day! I'm sure the birds love each other. It's so sweet to see and hear about birdies who've been together for so long. The dedication, hard word, and care that all the birds put into their relationships is truly heartwarming. Thanks for this awesome video! It made my day :D
Lesley, I have been a subscriber for years, on my computer and iPad, and you never cease to amaze me. You genuinely love birds, you are respectful and show such compassion towards them. I have a large yard with a wooded area in the back, so there is no shortage of birds ! I have learned so much from your videos and have done what I could to make it a place where birds can nest, find food, and feel safe. I even have mated pairs that come back year after year, and their young have found mates and come back as well. There is an elementary school just down the street and the children love to stop by to see what I grow in my garden and yes, to watch the birds ! I have 7 crows that have made my yard their home and I call them “The Cousins” which makes the children laugh ! They always ask if I will take them out back so they can visit with The Cousins and often bring them little gifts and seed treats they make. I actually bought my iPad so I could take you with me and the children outback so they can learn about the birds, their parents say it is the only time they sit still and are quiet ! I had a teacher walk over to talk with me because the children asked if she would get bird books for them and wanted her to let them watch you in their classroom ! I showed her your channel, and now they have a “Bird Day” every week at school ! I wanted to thank you for all you do Lesley, if not for you taking time to make such wonderful videos these children would never get the chance to learn about birds. And because of you there are children who now love birds ! Children who want to feed them, make homes for them, and can identify almost every bird that visits and lives in my yard ! So again, thank you for all your hard work in filming these wonderful creatures, and for sharing your knowledge with all of your viewers ! You truly are an amazing person !
I don't even know where to begin to express my sincere gratitude for all the thoughtful and kind things you said! I am so amazed, and at a loss for the appropriate words to use to describe how I feel after reading your comment. To know the level of impact such a simple act of uploading these bird videos, that I love so much to do, is causing... it's just incredible. Thank you for being so kind to those dear little children and allowing them into your beautiful garden, and to meet " The Cousins" (I love that). As a child, a friend and I would visit a lovely woman's home to see her yard. She would bring us around and teach us about the various flowers she had growing. Still to this day, it's a fond memory. There is no doubt in my mind that you are leaving that same impact on the children visiting your garden. It's such a delight to know that there is now a "Bird day" at school for the children. Makes all the hard work I do that much more worth it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment to me and for all that you do for the little ones( birds and kids) :)
@@LesleytheBirdNerd Thank you so much for sharing that memory with me ! I really hope “my kids” remember me as fondly ! As we go through life we can only hope that we can leave some sort of finger print behind, that we have made a difference somehow. And as I was watching this wonderful video that you had painstakingly put together I felt I had to let you know the impact you have made on those children and myself. It is so fun to hear the children say “ We saw a Miss Lesley video today !” and to listen to their excited voices tell me all about the birds they had seen. So wonderful to hear them say “Did you know......?” and see their little faces light up as they tell me what new bird fact they’re learned ! And who knows, maybe some day soon, there will be another bird nerd making videos like Miss Lesley and sharing their love for birds ! I like to think there will be many ! Thank you again for all you do !
That was beautiful. The story about Indigo broke my heart.
I started feeding Blue Jays and Magpies a couple of months ago. I have been really happy to know I am making a difference for them. My dog is slowly getting more accepting and it is fun having them about!
I have always loved Blue Jays since I was a little kid and I'm 64 now. I could tell they were smarter than the average chicken. I had no idea they were part of the Corvid family until a couple years ago and knowing how intelligent Crows and Ravens are it made perfect sense that Blue Jays were so smart as well. My wife and I gathered a small flock of conure parrots after our human children grew up and I've witnessed first hand how strongly they form pair bonds. They say a bonded pair in the wild are never away from each other and I can believe it. Thanks for this episode. Best wishes.
This winter has been unusually cold where I live. We've had to refill our massive bird feeder every other day! Typically, it's every 5-6 days. Love seeing beautiful cardinals, mourning doves, warblers, chickadees, woodpeckers and blue jays. Thank you for your videos!
I have had some gorgeous ravens as well. They really work as a team/family. One is always watching while the others feed.
we may not be sure if the birds can love each other but we certainly know that we love your videos! and we love you too, Leslie!
Of course they care about each other. I have observed on many occasions in my life, a mate displaying what looked like real distress at the sight of there mate dead on the ground. A broken heart becomes real familiar after a few decades.
I saw this with a pair of squirrels. It was sad and if it wasn’t a crowded city street I would have taken the deceased one somewhere safer for the other to mourn without risking their own life
I absolutely think that birds and other animals feel love (and other emotions) and I think it is supercilious of humans to think otherwise.
I love your deep connection and interactions with the Blue Jays. I think they're my favorite you've featured as well.
Been watching a pair of magpies today, begin their nest building, here in the UK.
Tricky biz using only ones beak!
Love the channel, Lesley. Peace
Wow! Look at those Blue Jays. How beautiful and Smart. How lucky to see them and watch them grow ..🐦🐦
I think animals have most of the same emotions that humans have, but simpler. I don’t think they think about their emotions, but just feel what they feel and don’t worry about it.
Your talking about blue jays working together reminded me of a time when I was walking down a city street and a blue jay fledging plopped down on the sidewalk in front of me. I bent down to see if it was all right and I was attacked by the parents. I got under a nearby bus shelter and one kept me penned down there while the other herded the baby into some nearby bushes. They couldn’t have planned it out better.
Wow! What an interesting, Valentine’s Day-themed video Lesley! I didn’t realize that birds had such complicated relationships. I hope you had a Happy Valentine’s Day!
I think they have a love for each other that us humans don’t understands As you spoke about the Blue Jay who cared for his terminally ill mate I seen the concern of a cardinal pair when one flew into a car window and the mate did not leave it’s mates side as I spent a few hours caring for the bird he made a fast recovery and the pair nested in my oak tree for several years
Thank you❤️❤️❤️
This is part of why I'm partial to birds as far as animals go
I do believe that they have feelings. I've seen quite a few times when there is a dead duck on the side of the road it's mate is lying next to them. Always makes me sad.
I was going to say this. They mourn thus they feel loss, sadness, and grieve so they must "love."
It is sad hearing about the grieving duck near its deceased partner. 😥
I totally believe birds love their mates. I see it all the time with my outdoor birds and especially my two indoor birds. Yes they do love and care for each other! Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Awesome Valentine's day video!💗💙🖤💙🖤🐦🥰
Great Valentines Day video 🥰🥰🥰 I have observed extremely strong pair & family bonds amongst blue jay & crow families. I’ve noticed that the crows in my garden & in the natural area right behind it stay together as families and that last year’s babies remain in the family nests/trees to help raise the following year’s babies. Crows are extremely clever birds, they really are a delight to watch. They speak to each other in a variety of tones: the soft tones seem to be strictly reserved for family members. They will band together cooperatively when they need to defend their territory (my house & garden) from unwelcome would be interlopers. Different crow families in the general area will also band together to escort owls, eagles & other birds of prey out of their district.
I definitely think that birds who mate for life are capable of deep caring, even genuine love, for their mates & their children. They groom each other, bring love gifts of food or nesting materials and cuddle when the weather is pleasant, so they appear to be seeking companionship rather than warmth on those occasions.
I am definitely going to observe my garden birds even more thoughtfully this year than previously. Right now we’re in a deep freeze 🥶 but there’s still plenty of activities to entertain us until spring 😊
When I was small, we had a tame crow living in the house behind ours. He was a fantastic mimic & learned new words in English & German very quickly & easily.
Birds are such amazing creatures: we can learn much about ourselves simply by observing them very carefully.
Thank you so much for your wonderful videos 😊😊😊
YES LESLEY I THINK YOUR RIGHT, THERES LOVE IN THOSE BIRDS. CARING, EMOTION.
MY MATE TAKEN TRAGICALLY 14 YEARS AGO AFTER 40YRS
I FEEL FOR THAT BIRD LOOKING AFTER SICK MATE.
SO LOVE YOUR VIDEOS.
💜 CAMILLE 🇦🇺🐨
Love the mates for life. In my region, one of the most special is the Pink Flamingooooo. You have some epic blue jay stories.
What a nice Valentine’s Day gift! Just started following you a few days ago. Thanks!
This is a beautiful video. The photography is superb and your commentary is always amazing. I do believe that birds do have a special bond and a relationship that is a wonderful example for us.
Yes. There is love imho.
IMHO of course they love each other. It's almost a silly question.💙🤔
Thank you for your videos! You made the pandemic bearable. Your videos taught me to watch, feed, learn and enjoy birds I have never really noticed before. I have 3 sets of gorgeous Blue Jay's whom now loudly keep me on schedule with their peanut expectations. You have a great voice, maybe audio books?
Great for Valentine's Day!
All we need is love.. feathered or not... thanks for the great video!♥️
I have no doubts that birds and other animals feel the emotions we feel in different degrees. They are animals, we are animals. Humans, for all of our supposed 'intelligence', are pretty limited when it comes to interpreting other species and understanding their depth and abilities.
Another beautiful video. You should know that it is your videos that have made me a lover of Blue Jays.😊
Yes. I believe birds can show each other love.
we have a pair of scrub jays that have been with us for a couple years. Amazing to watch and they seem to work in consort as they spot the peanuts we leave for them. One stays on look out while the other flies in.
There's a cardinal couple that have lived in the trees outside my kitchen window for several years. Nearly every day I watch him come to the feeder, check it out, then fly off to return with his mate. As she eats he watches from a nearby branch, guarding I assume. If that's not love and affection I don't know what is.
Aw...indigo's mate caring for her. How sweet. ❤
Nature continues to give me hope that not everyone is ruined
There used to be a video on RUclips of an African grey parrot having a heart attack and falling off the perch , dead . It's mate tried over and over to get the bird back on its feet. Quite astounding behavior. Thanks for sharing wondrous content.
I checked and the video is still there . Shines a light on avian intelligence and avian " emotions "
All true and good points. Beautiful capture compilation. ☺ 👍
I feel as though they do care for each other. Animals do things for practical reasons but they have feelings too. 😊
Fabulous video, beautiful and touching. Our Blue Jays are the praetorian guards for our backyard avian and squirrel families. They always let us know by their calls when the peanuts run out. We love our Blue Jays, and they love our peanuts. We hope feeding them and providing water this entire winter season will benefit their health and happiness for this spring and summer. We also hope their offspring stay nearby to enjoy our feeders next winter like their parents.
I don't see why it should be so unbelievable that birds, as other animals feel something similar to what we call "love". Emotions are very primitive reactions, think about other feelings, such as anger, fear, lust, joy, etc. They are very basic, and it isn't hard to see other animals experience them. So, why not love? Not every human stay with one partner for life, I bet most of us struggled at least a little before finding that person that we feel happy with, but if we are lucky to find her/him, I think that the normal thing is stay together, and this is as well for "practical reasons", it is very practical to feel happy. Cheers!
Like yourself, I'm enamored with Blue Jays. I have about 30 regular birds who come for what's in my feeders and the surplus peanuts 🥜 I serve up year round. I love watching where they hide them and an often surprised to see that they remember where they stash them. I once had a pair nest right outside my window and was able to watch the entire nest building thru the young fledglings go off on their own way. The sweet sharing of food while one was incubating eggs was gentle and kind. It was surprising to see such a loud and gregarious bird be capable of such tenderness. I never knew they mated for life. Knowing this makes me love them all the more. I'm not sure why some folks don't like Jays. They are who they are with no apology. I can respect that. They are so intelligent, their peanut weighing antics and decision making is soooo entertaining for me. They truly are thinking things through. With their glorious blue and lavender dress, they are right up there at the top of my list!
I’ve been watching live footage on RUclips of an albatross pair in New Zealand for the last several weeks. I didn’t know much about these birds before but watching them incubate a single egg for almost 3 months and then care for their chick has been fascinating. One bird will stay out at sea for two or three days and when they return they are excited to see each other. They make a gesture called sky pointing and clack their beaks as if to say “I missed you.” Maybe I’m anthropomorphizing their behavior but it seems like there is true caring there if not love as we know it.
There is no doubt in my mind that certain birds share what I consider camaraderie, and observing the devotion to his fledgling cardinal babies in the cover of a Harry Louder one summer, I would say they love. It may be instinctual to love in birds, who can prove otherwise? Why would mammals be the only creatures we assign “feelings”? The delight we have in birds is a direct experience of our commonality as much as our differences.❤️
Yay! The Ruby Crowned Kinglets Made It Into A Video!
While I have not witnessed a bird pair attend to one another over years, I have seen other birds nurture family or "clan" members in a way that the recipient shows contentment.
It's love, dammit!😭😍 We tend to put ourselves on a pedestal and assume we're unique in the Universe. But at the risk of anthropomorphizing animals the fact is our body structure and biology is only minutely different than other animal species closely related to us. I expect that as we learn more about the natural world and the Universe as a whole we'll realize we have a lot more in common with other living creatures than we think.
I'm actually getting my Master's in animal behavior (ethology), and one of the areas that has me most fascinated is cognition. My thesis project is on lobsters, so I've been delving into invertebrate cognition, and I can tell you that it's much richer and more complex than humans give them credit for. My previous work up until now has been exclusively with terrestrial vertebrates. Despite the impressive and complex array of vertebrate species on this planet, our brains (and general body plan) are still highly conserved. And one of the "oldest" parts of our brains deals with emotions such as fear and contentment. In fact, vertebrates form better memories if they have an emotion attached to the memory, such as rats feeling relief (or whatever you'd like to call "non-stress") when during a water test they finally find the shallow portion that allows them to stand with their nose above water and stop swimming. Fear and the corresponding adrenaline is a useful emotion that tells us when a stimulus is bad or dangerous. Similarly, the rush of oxytocin and serotonin tells us when something is good and helps us form strong bonds and create lasting pair-bonds. It is known that both mammals and birds use oxytocin and serotonin in much the same way, so it's highly likely that they can feel love for each other.
In other words, it's highly anthropocentric to assume that humans are somehow different or unconnected to the rest of life when we share the same basic blueprint and suite of hormones as the rest of vertebrate life. Other vertebrates are not as alien as we'd like to assume, and we're not as special (emotionally) as we'd like to believe. Indeed, we can and do use just about any vertebrate species we like to study cognition and emotions in ourselves and others for exactly this reason, though we may couch it in terms that seem cold and impersonal. Of course, it's still possible to anthropocentrically attribute the wrong emotion to a fellow vertebrate, but that doesn't prove that the particular species in question can't feel that particular emotion.
It's possible that invertebrates have completely alien emotions, or maybe no emotions at all (though I personally think this is unlikely). But with the huge body of science behind it, it is impossible to conclude that vertebrates don't have hormonally mediated emotions. Those emotions may not manifest in the way we expect to see them, but that doesn't stop the animals in question from living emotionally rich lives.
Thank you so much for another great video. I am an animal lover who recently got interested in birds, wild and domestic. The more we learn about all animals that we cohabitate this earth with the better quality of life for us and them both.
These are the best videos. Thank you. It’s been a snowy, cold few days and I’ve been adding seed a lot. The other day I peaked out the basement door and saw two bluebirds huddled together under shelter, it looked like as you have said, they were keeping each other warm. Made my day.
Hi Lesley,
We had a pair of cardinals nest outside our bath window several years ago. And for the past three winters they are REGULARS at our black sunflower feeder. We can almost set our clocks by their schedule. First birds there in the morning and last ones at night. He takes the left side and she the right side of the feeder. We've even named our pair, thus you can tell we are retired. Have a great winter and thanks for the videos.
Aww how sweet is that?! Thanks for sharing your sweet observation and you have a great winter too.
We have a pair of Cardinals that show up like you mention. The frustrating thing is we bought a hanging, open mesh feeder that they can easily sit on and also one of those cylinders of black walnut and other seeds. Only seen one of them on that once. The will eat seeds on the ground, sometimes right under the "Cardinal" feeders we got for them. Meanwhile all the other birds are having a feast on all the feeders. LOL
Thank you for another very informative study in birding Lesley!!! Yes, I agree that Jays and other birds seem to show affection for one another.
I believe they love each other❤️❤️❤️
They definitely feel emotions and love...to me it's apparent.
My Husband (i am female parading under a male name). and i have KNOWN my Husband for 39 years. Lol!! We have been married almost 29 years. (SMILING) **HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY LESLEY**
Thanks for giving a heartfelt and still inquiry- motivated summary of bird love. Very well done. It makes me want to listen in on their courting, so to speak. :)
I do 💖love has no bounds wonderful to find out my jays and red birds stay together, started bird watching after my daughter died they bring so much beauty and wonderment💖💖Happy Valentine Day💖
I’m so sorry for the loss of your daughter. Watching birds is a lovely way to be at peace.
♥️
I'm so sorry for your loss, Peggy. Warching the birds helped me through the loss of my grandfather a few years ago. It's nice to know they help bring you peace. Take care ♥️
Absolutely they care and love for one another! My father says that all animals lack is voice-they feel just as we do.
I want to believe birds can have feelings. I had a mockingbird that used to greet me in the morning at work and would land near me and we'd "chat". It seemed to always come by at the perfect moment to cheer me up.
Absolutely - as in, yes, I believe birds commit to each other, care & love. I and my husband are very fond of birds ourselves. We get plenty of cardinals, crows, finches, blue jays, chickadees, thrushes, (the occasional hawk, though... very much to the chagrin of the doves - and sometimes squirrels, but... such is life) etc - it's a delight to watch them. Such sparks of life. Your videos have given us an even deeper appreciation, not just of blue jays, but birds in general!
I don't think humans are unique and above all other species on this planet. Hence, they can feel "love" as we do. Also, the definition of love can be quite elusive!
Happy Valentines 💝 💓 💖 💗 💙💙💙🐦
As it’s said today, “I feel ya” ....of course they know of love. How else could they put up with each other for a lifetime ? You can only become affectionate with someone with whom you have become accustomed, then you don’t fly off the handle and leave ... pun intended ! Birds of a feather and all ! Of course they love each other. ❤️
Great video Lesley. I think it's obvious that mated pairs feel a strong connection to each other. Whether we can call it "love" in the sense that we as humans know it is a question I think doesn't have to be answered. But the connection is undeniable.