Magpies Reflect on Themselves

2 Chronicles 9:23
“And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart.”

When you look in a mirror you are conscious of seeing yourself. Bottlenose dolphins, elephants and primates in general have also shown this ability, but that’s about it.

Since social birds, like magpies, have larger brains than other birds, researchers wanted to find out if they would recognize themselves in a mirror. To do this, researchers placed a mark on the animal that can only be seen or touched when they look into the mirror. Most animals would have no idea that the creature in the mirror was themselves. Many animals would simply look behind the mirror and be puzzled. Even if they didn’t, their lack of recognition of themselves would become evident when they did not seek to remove the unnatural spot from the image in the mirror.

Researchers found that most magpies recognized the image in a mirror as themselves and sought to remove the unnatural mark from their own body while looking in the mirror. When given a choice, most of the magpies also preferred the compartment with a mirror in a two-compartment cage. The minority of magpies that didn’t recognize themselves in the mirror preferred the compartment without a mirror.

It should be clear that attributes such as consciousness, wisdom and knowledge cannot be created by accident and chance. Only God could grant these things as His creatures need them.

Prayer:
Father, I thank You for the gifts of wisdom and knowledge. Help me to use these gifts to Your glory. Amen.

Notes:
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/35462/title/1%2_magpie, Bruce Bower, “I Magpie.” Photo: Sri Lanka blue magpie. Courtesy of Thimindu. (CC BY-SA 3.0)