Abstract
Comparative studies suggest that at least some bird species have evolved mental skills similar to those found in humans and apes. This is indicated by feats such as tool use, episodic-like memory, and the ability to use one's own experience in predicting the behavior of conspecifics. It is, however, not yet clear whether these skills are accompanied by an understanding of the self. In apes, self-directed behavior in response to a mirror has been taken as evidence of self-recognition. We investigated mirror-induced behavior in the magpie, a songbird species from the crow family. As in apes, some individuals behaved in front of the mirror as if they were testing behavioral contingencies. When provided with a mark, magpies showed spontaneous mark-directed behavior. Our findings provide the first evidence of mirror self-recognition in a non-mammalian species. They suggest that essential components of human self-recognition have evolved independently in different vertebrate classes with a separate evolutionary history.
Highlights
Since the pioneering work by Gallup [1], a number of studies have investigated the occurrence of mirror-induced self-directed behavior in animals of a great range of species
If an individual is experimentally provided with a mark that cannot be directly seen but is, visible in the mirror, increased exploration of the own body and selfdirected actions towards the mark suggest that the mirror image is being perceived as self
Mirror self-recognition has been shown in apes and, recently, in dolphins and elephants
Summary
Since the pioneering work by Gallup [1], a number of studies have investigated the occurrence of mirror-induced self-directed behavior in animals of a great range of species. The mirror is used for exploration of the own body This suggestive evidence of self-recognition is further corroborated by the mirror and mark test. Nonprimate mammals, and in a number of bird species, exploration of the mirror and social displays were observed, but no hints at mirror-induced self-directed behavior have been obtained [5]. Does this mean a cognitive Rubicon with apes and a few other species with complex social behavior on one side and the rest of the animal kingdom on the other side? Does this mean a cognitive Rubicon with apes and a few other species with complex social behavior on one side and the rest of the animal kingdom on the other side? This might imply that animal selfrecognition is restricted to mammals with large brains and highly evolved social cognition but absent from animals without a neocortex
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