At the 'corvid palace', a renowned UK centre for research on intelligence in corvids, jays shown a cups-and-balls-style magic trick react angrily when they are surprised by their favourite snack being swapped for a less appealing one
and her colleagues at the University of Cambridge wondered whether jays would be sensitive to cognitive illusions designed to fool humans.
First, they tested six birds to find out which food each one preferred from a choice of worms, cheese and peanuts. Then they showed the birds a version of the cups and balls magic trick, in which food was placed under one of two overturned cups. The cups had string handles so the birds could lift them.The birds had seen a worm or cheese piece go into the cup, but in some cases the researchers swapped it for another type of food.
Birds with a higher social rank were more likely to reject food they weren’t expecting to find, and tended to show stronger reactions, such as squawking and flying away. “They would get very cross,” says Schnell. “It’s hard not to anthropomorphise, but it’s like you could feel their frustration.”
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