Study finds magpies who are bullied are more likely to be smarter

June 6, 2024 1:31 AM

Study finds magpies who are bullied are more likely to be smarter than their bullies. The research tested the intelligence of the animals, and found birds who were frequently picked on had become smarter to avoid their bullies. (This is about the Australian magpie, Gymnorhina tibicen, which is not related to the European magpie, Pica pica. Basically when the British got to Australia, they went "this random bird is black and white, so we'll call it a magpie.")
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (19 comments total)

artamid, in media res
posted by HearHere at 2:31 AM on June 6

Unrelated to the article, when I went to Stockholm for work, back in 2010, the locals thought it was amusing that I made such a big deal about seeing magpies. I’d only ever read about them.
posted by notoriety public at 4:09 AM on June 6 [1 favorite]

100% same experience first time in europe, hard to explain to europeans how weird it is to see an animal that you’ve never thought of as anything but a, like, metaphor
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 4:18 AM on June 6 [2 favorites]

North America has lots of magpies too, which are Corvids like the European version. The black-billed magpie is distributed across much of the Western U.S. and into Canada. The yellow-billed magpie is common through central California. Some think all three are the same species, Pica pica.

As for the unrelated Aussie version, it is important to note that, when fashioning Magpie avoidance measures, THE EYES DON'T WORK. (this is one of my very favorite things on the internet)
posted by mcstayinskool at 5:33 AM on June 6 [6 favorites]

With a name like Pica pica, they ought to be yellow with a zigzag tail.
posted by notoriety public at 6:44 AM on June 6 [4 favorites]

MetaFilter: Bullying works
posted by potent_cyprus at 7:04 AM on June 6 [4 favorites]

Ah, the old Heckle and Jeckle theory.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:43 AM on June 6

“Had become smarter” or were naturally more intelligent? TFA doesn’t say much about correlation/causation. It’s easy to anthropomorphize along jock/nerd social arrangements but I’m quite curious whether nerd-birds’ intelligence was an innate skill or a survival tactic they developed as a result of their environment. The old nature/nurture question.
posted by simra at 7:44 AM on June 6

I had not known Australian magpies are completely unrelated to European magpies, thanks for that.
posted by theora55 at 8:08 AM on June 6

The black-billed magpie is distributed across much of the Western U.S. and into Canada.

Oh yeah, I'd say to my buddies from Alberta "Oh you have Magpies, that's cool!" And they'd just shake their head and be like: "Nah, they're just annoying."
posted by ovvl at 8:15 AM on June 6 [1 favorite]

I am wondering if there are magpies that bully and also are bullied. And how big the groups have to be to develop the greater intelligence, etc.

simra, i think this describes how they’re going to look for causation — or at least before-after -:

"We're [now] looking at young [magpies] and their network, and how that is affecting their intelligence to truly get how cognition develops over time due to social influences."

posted by clew at 8:37 AM on June 6 [1 favorite]

LIFE: Bullying works

I doubt I got smarter from being bullied, myself. Stress and fear don't exactly help your processing.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:43 AM on June 6 [2 favorites]

mcstayinschool thank you for AAAAAAAH THE EYES DON'T WORK THE EYES DON'T WORK! Absolutely fantastic.
posted by Zumbador at 8:55 AM on June 6

when you bully a magpie are you mockingbird
posted by one for the books at 10:20 AM on June 6 [1 favorite]

It’s easy to anthropomorphize along jock/nerd social arrangements

As a nerd myself, I find it actually quite easy to NOT apply this tired, usually manosphere-flavored trope to any animal behavior, human or otherwise. While there are certainly nerds who have been bullied by “jocks”, there is no fucking shortage of nerds who themselves are bullies - nerds also harass and ostracize and gatekeep and punish and denigrate and lie and cheat and steal and intimidate, and many rationalize these behaviors through a deep-seated belief that they are *naturally* more intelligent than - and therefore superior to - other people. The hypothesis that bullying is somehow about less-intelligent “jocks” harassing more-intelligent “nerds” dissolves into air.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 11:24 AM on June 6 [2 favorites]

Re: THE EYES DON'T WORK

I didn't realize that this episode of Bluey was in reference to something. I guess the eyes need to be real. Or well, cartoon dog real.
posted by tempestuoso at 11:37 AM on June 6 [1 favorite]

yeah nerd/jock was two dialectical syntheses ago it got replaced by hufflepuff/gryffindor in the late 00s and then in 2015 that in turn was supplanted by antifa/nazi. it’s unclear what the new emerging opposition is but there are some signs that it’s going to be security cameras/toilet heads
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 11:39 AM on June 6

What about Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo?
posted by PresidentOfDinosaurs at 1:11 PM on June 6 [1 favorite]

What about Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo?

They get doctorates in linguistics.
posted by Dr. Curare at 6:23 AM on June 7