Who Says TV Isn't Educational?

Researchers in Finland studied two species of  local birds, the great tit (Parus major) and the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus).  These birds have shown the ability to learn foods to avoid by watching how other birds react after eating them.  The researchers showed some of the birds videos of their peers eating and reacting to almonds where some of the almonds had been treated with a bitter substance.  Birds who ate those almonds reacted by "wiping their beaks and shaking their heads."  

Birds that had watched the videos ate fewer of the icky prey packets than those that had not, the researchers found. Blue tits seemed to learn better after watching videos featuring members of their own species, while great tits performed similarly regardless of what species had been featured in the videos.

“By watching others, [great tits and blue tits] can learn quickly and safely which prey are best to eat,” Hämäläinen says. “This can reduce the time and energy they invest in trying different prey, and also help them avoid the ill effects of eating toxic prey.”