When Birds Show Remarkable Generosity

Some, most likely in Australia, are familiar with magpies because they're fiercely defensive of their nests and they will absolutely dive bomb you relentlessly if you should be so reckless as to walk beneath the tree chosen for the nest.  The science reveals they also show remarkable generosity, at least when they're not attacking civilian visitors.  (Science Daily:  Azure-winged magpies show human-like generosity)

Azure-winged magpie, Cyanopica cyana (stock image).
Credit: © Erni / Fotolia

Here's the summary.

Azure-winged magpies seem to be the exception to the rule. They provided food to their group members spontaneously and without the other birds begging them. "This so-called 'proactive prosociality' has long been believed to be a human hallmark," explains lead author Lisa Horn.  It was however suggested that cooperative child rearing promoted this tendency to benefit others without expecting anything in return in early humans.  In line with the hypothesis, researchers also found evidence for prosocial behavior in cooperatively breeding primates. "But so far results from other animal taxa were missing," says Horn.

- Science Daily

You may be stiffening at this moment thinking there's an impending blast of bile regarding generosity of humans but it's true when we deal with each other one on one or in small groups where humans will show all the generosity anyone could hope from social creatures.  The contrariness is that evaporates when we get into a herd as you may be seeing in a political debate right now, assuming the unlikely event there's any actual content to the debate at all beyond gamesmanship.

It's elevating and humbling a bit to see any evidence of generosity, human-like or no, and, prior to thea article, I might have suspected elephants of sharing things since they're so much social and will even hang with a fallen friend until they're sure their colleague has departed this coil, sometimes a bit longer than that just to be positive.

In terms of the lack of generosity of herding humans, there was just a news reminder there is currently sparring regarding Russian involvement in the election so it's conclusive, there is no content in the debate beyond fantasy.  I'll continue sitting this one out to see what else in the world of scientific weird I can find.