Do birds recognize human faces?

Do birds recognize human faces?

Experts have been pondering on this question for quite some time and numerous studies and experiments have been conducted over the years.  Research has suggested that some birds indeed do know who their human friends are, as they are able to recognize people's faces and differentiate between human voices.

Two major studies were conducted separately by University of Lincoln and the University of Vienna on pigeons and crows. The research on pigeons pointed out that pigeons can reliably differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar faces. They rely on facial features to discriminate people apart.

Research published in Avian Biology Research shows that pigeons can reliably discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar humans, and that they use facial features to tell people apart.

Lincoln's lead researcher on the project, Dr Anna Wilkinson, from the School of Life states, "Such advanced cognitive processes have rarely been observed in pigeons and suggest that they not only recognize individual humans but also know who they know -- something which could be very important for survival. Some humans feed pigeons, others chase them”.   The bird’s survival perhaps depends on its able to identify a friend or potential foe.

In the other study, published in the journal Animal Cognition, the team inferred that the crows respond significantly more often to unfamiliar than familiar human.  The research points out the evidence that birds can discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar individuals using auditory stimuli.

Christine Stracey, a researcher from the University of Florida has been invading the mocking birds' nests in her neighborhood, counting eggs and banding chicks for a research project. Over time, she noticed that the birds were getting aggressive with her: They would squawk and swoop toward her as soon as they saw her coming.  While they reacted for Stracey whenever she approached them, they ignored passersby and even gardeners working right beneath their nests. "By the end of the summer, I was absolutely convinced that the birds knew me and did not like me!" she says.

Ask any parrot owner, a parrot knows the difference between the owner and a stranger.  Parrots respond quickly to owners while they shy away from strangers.

John Fitzpatrick, an ornithologist at Cornell University says “It's amazing what a bird brain can do." He says there is subtle interplay between the natural and human world. Most people assume that birds are minding their own business, he says, when in reality they are quite in tune with the people passing by.

I have been frequenting the Thappli forest area in Haryana. On a particular tree, I spotted a spotted owlet.  For the first few days, on seeing me, the owlet would either fly away or hide itself behind the branches. It was difficult to click it. However, days passed and I continued to frequent the area. Every time I stopped near the tree and looked for the owlet. Now the owlet does not fly away or hide itself. Rather it would make familiar sounds to perhaps tell me where it is. I have clicked numerous photographs of the bird to my heart’s content. On any particular day, if I do not stop near the tree, the owlet would swap its wings perhaps to remind me why I am ignoring it. Perhaps, some bonding has been achieved.

The cognitive behavior of the birds and their ability to identify human faces and voices provides a useful tip for bird photographers. Give some space to the birds that they intend to click so that they get familiarize with you and conclude that you are a friend and not a foe. Once they are comfortable with you, I assure you they will give you a perfect pose. Patience is perhaps the most important ingredient to bird photography.