We’ve blogged before about how people fear strangers more than they should, whereas it’s the people you know who often cause trouble. According to this new study, urban mockingbirds may be better at risk assessment than people. It found that the birds apparently learn to recognize the faces of people they’ve seen before and, based on past encounters with an individual, assess how threatening they are; but they aren’t as fearful of complete strangers. (HT: VSL) [%comments]
Survival Tips From Mockingbirds
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I can agree with this. I was once walking my dog in an Alexandria neighborhood, and I was getting dive-bombed by one mockingbird in particular. We walked the same path every day, but I don’t recall anything I could have done to set off that mockingbird. I’m not normally afraid of birds, but we changed our route after this experience!
An urban mockingbird has to deal with neither that Nigerian prince who wants to send him $8.5 million nor the likes of Bernie Madoff. No one will implore him to be a member of the “ownership society.” There is no one to tell him that the warranty on his car is about to expire. No stranger will bump into him on the sidewalk and demand restitution for a pair of already-broken eyeglasses. What a life! Where do I sign up?