>> Rooney: SHE'S ALSO BEEN
CALLED THE BEST INTERPRETERER OF
ALL TIME AND THE AUTHORED 15
BOOKS FROM TIGERS TO PIGS AND
NOW TURNS HER PASSION TO
CREATURE OF FLIGHT IN BIRDOLOGY.
HERE'S OUR CONVERSATION WITH
HER.
>> YOU DISCUSS ALL KINDS OF
BIRDS FROM CHICKENS TO HUMMING
BIRDS AND HAWKS AND COCKATOOS
AND BIRDS.
PEOPLE ALWAYS THINK CHICKENS ARE
NOT INTELLIGENT AND YOU SAID
THEY HAVE PERSONALITIES AND
ATTRACTED TO PEOPLE THEY LIKE.
>> OURS SHOW YOU RIGHT WAY THEY
HAVE PERSONALITIES AND RECOGNIZE
YOU AND THE NEIGHBORS AND FOR
INSTANCE, THEY LOVE OUR NEXT
DOOR NEIGHBORS SO MUCH THAT WHEN
YOU HEAR BOBBY AND JARVIS'S DOOR
SLAM THEY RUN ACROSS THE YARD
THEIR WINGS FLAPPING TO GET
FASTER TO GET A TREAT AND GET
PETTED.
THEY LISTEN FOR THEIR DOOR TO
SLAM AND SOMETIMES BOBBY AND
JARVIS HAVE TO SNEAK OUT OF
THEIR HOUSE IF THEY DON'T WANT
MOBBED BY CHICKENS BUT THEY
DON'T FEEL THAT WAY ABOUT
ANYBODY.
THE NEIGHBORS THEY DON'T CARE
ABOUT BUT THE CHICKENS KNOW
ALOT.
YOU HEAR ABOUT THE PECKING
ORDER.
IT'S MORE ABOUT ORDER THAN
PECKING.
IT MATTERS TO THEM WHO'S WHO AND
THE AVERAGE CHICKEN CAN
RECOGNIZE AT LEAST ANOTHER 100
CHICKENS AND PEOPLE AND LOOK AT
THEM THE SAME WAY WE DO BY
LOOKING AT THE FACE.
>> YOU SAY THERE'S A FACIAL
RECOGNITION.
EVEN WHEN YOU CHANGE STUDIES
HAVE DONE THEY CHANGED A
CHICKEN'S APPEARANCE AND
MODIFIED IT AND THEY CAN STILL
DISTINGUISH WITH ALTERATIONS.
>> THE SCIENTISTS ARE ALWAYS
DOING THESE THINGS PUTTING A
FAKE COMB ON A CHICKEN BUT WHEN
THEY PULLED OUT FEATHERS BUT THE
MINUTE YOU MESS WITH THEIR FACE
IS WHEN THEY START GETTING
CONFUSED.
>> THE OTHER INTERESTING THING
YOU TALK ABOUT IS YOU CAN
DIFFERENTIATE LANGUAGE WITH
CHICKENS WITH THE CLUCKS.
>> OH, YES, ABSOLUTELY.
>> NOT JUST SCIENTISTS BUT YOUR
FRIEND CAN RECOGNIZE IT AS WELL.
>> I HAVE ANOTHER FRIEND WHO
OFTEN GIVES A HAWK WARNING TO
THE CHICKENS AND THEY ALL LOOK
RIGHT UP LOOKING FOR THE HAWK.
>> HOW DOES SHE DO THAT?
I'M NOT ASKING TO YOU MIMIC IT
BUT...
>> THEY SAY VERY SPECIFICALLY
WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT.
THEY DON'T JUST SAY THERE'S
TROUBLE.
CHICKENS ARE TELLING THEIR FLOCK
MATES WHAT KIND OF TROUBLE IT
IS, AN AERIAL PREDATOR AND LOOK
UP OR A GROUND PREDATOR AND KNOW
TO LOOK OUT THERE AND SOMEBODY
APPROACHING AT HIGH SPEED AND
EVEN GIVE YOU THAT INFORMATION.
>> IT ALL HAS TO DO WITH THE
SPEED OF THE SOUND AND WHETHER
IT'S HIGH OR LOW.
>> YEAH.
IT'S NOT EXACTLY WORDS BUT MUCH
LIKE OUR WORDS.
BIRDS DO HAVE A SORT OF
LANGUAGE.
IT'S JUST THAT ALTHOUGH PARROTS
FOR EXAMPLE, CAN SPEAK IN
ENGLISH MEANINGFULLY TO YOU AND
ME WE HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT
EVERYTHING THEY'RE SAYING.
>> I WAS FASCINATED BY YOUR
CHAPTER AND HUMMING BIRDS AND
BASICALLY THEY'RE LITTLE POCKETS
OF AIR AND NOT OF TO THEM AND
THEIR FEATHERS WEIGH MORE OF THE
REST OF THEIR BEINGS.
>> THAT'S TRUE OF JUST ABOUT ALL
BIRDS NOT PENGUINS BUT HUMMING
BIRDS REALLY ILLUSTRATE THIS
BEAUTIFULLY BECAUSE NOT ONLY ARE
THEY THESE LITTLE HOLLOW BEINGS
--
>> INCLUDING HOLLOW BONES.
>> AND HUMMING BIRDS HAVE NINE
AIR BLADDERS INSIDE OF THEM.
THEY'RE NOTHING BUT AIR IN THERE
EVEN THEIR SKULLS ARE SCAFFOLDED
TO MAKE THEM LIGHT.
>> AND THEY HAVE EXCEPTIONALLY
LONG TONGUES.
>> THE HUMMING BIRD'S TONGUE
WRAPS AROUND IT'S TONGUE.
PEOPLE THINK IT'S STRAW BUT IT'S
NOT.
THEY'RE NOT SUCKING STUFF UP
THEY'RE USING THEIR TONGUE
ALMOST AS A BRUSH AND BOY DO YOU
WISH YOU CAN EAT LIKE A HUMMING
BIRD AND JUST THE NECTAR ALONE
EATS ABOUT 600 INSECTS AND IF WE
ATE THAT MUCH WE'D BE ABLE TO
EAT 6,000 CALORIES A DAY.
>> AND YOU CORRECTED ME ON
SOMETHING AND A THINK THIS IS A
COMMON MYTH YOU TALK ABOUT
RESCUING HUMMING BIRDS WHICH IS
DIFFICULT BECAUSE THEY ARE SO
FRAGILE BUT YOU TALK ABOUT HOW
PEOPLE CAN TOUCH BIRDS AND PUT
THEM BACK IN THE NEST AND
THERE'S NO -- I ALWAYS THOUGHT
THE PARENT BIRD WOULD SMELL ME
ON THE BIRD AND WOULD ABANDON
THE NEST BUT YOU SAY THAT'S NOT
TRUE.
>> BUT THERE ARE SOME
EXCEPTIONS, OF COURSE VULTURES
THEY HAVE AN EXCELLENT SENSE OF
SMELL AND NOW WE KNOW PIGEONS
CAN SMELL AND MAY USE SMELL AS A
CUE TO GET TO WHERE THEY'RE
GOING AND REMEMBER HOW TO GET
FROM POINT A TO B.
>> ALSO ABOUT PIGEONS, I'LL ASK
YOU THIS ABOUT HAWKS TOO WE KNOW
THE BIRDS HAVE GREAT VISION BUT
I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW GREAT AND
YOU TALKED ABOUT IN YOUR BOOK
THERE HAVE BEEN STUDY HAS IT
PIGEONS CAN TELL A DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN A MONET AND MANET
PAINTING.
>> THEY OUTPERFORMED GRADUATE
STUDENTS.
IT'S FABULOUS.
BIRDS ARE SO SMART AND GIFTED
WITH EXTENSIONS OF THE SENSES WE
COULD ONLY DREAM ABOUT HAVING
AND BIRDS PROBABLY SEE COLORS
THAT WE DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT.
AND THEIR COLORS PROBABLY
SHIMMER IN THE WAY THAT HUMMING
BIRDS FEATHERS SHIMMER TO US AND
THINK HOW MUCH RICHER A BIRD IS
HAVING.
>> WHAT IS THEIR VISUAL
EXPERIENCE?
SO OFTEN WE SEE THE FLICKING
MOTION OF THE HEAD.
WHY ARE THEY DOING THAT?
>> THE HURKY JERKY WAY THEY MOVE
IS TO KEEP THEIR EYES STILL
BECAUSE THEY HAVE JUST ONE AREA
OF PERFECT FOCUS BUT TWO IN THE
EYE AND SOMETIMES THEIR HEAD IS
TRYING TO STAY STILL.
I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT WAS
AMAZING.
>> YOU SPENT SO MUCH TIME WITH
BIRDS DURING THE COURSE OF YOUR
RESERVE AND THE BOOK IS THERE
SOMETHING FUNDAMENTAL AND YOU
SAID YOU ALWAYS HAD AN INTEREST
BUT IS THERE SOMETHING YOU
LEARNED IN ALL YOUR RESEARCH?
>> MAYBE THE MOST WONDERFUL
THING THAT I'VE LEARNED AND
RELEARNED IS JUST THE SENSE OF
AWE.
HERE ARE THESE CREATURES THE
MOST COMMON WILD CREATURES THAT
EVERYONE SEES EVERY DAY YET IT'S
SO EASY TO TAKE THEM FOR GRANTED
SO BY GOING OUT AND HAVING THESE
SEVEN ADVENTURES WITH BIRDS I'M
TRYING TO REDEFINE THEM IN A WAY
THAT RESTORES THE BOTH SENSE OF
AWE AND COMPANIONSHIP.
>> I LEARNED SO MUCH READING
THIS.
THERE'S SO MUCH TRIVIA AND
INTERESTING THINGS.
BIRDOLOGY, THANK YOU FOR COMING.
>> WHAT A PLEASURE.
>> Rooney: THANKS JARROD.
THAT'S IT FOR "GREATER BOSTON."
A REMINDER TO TUNE INTO WGBH AT
NOON TOMORROW AND JOIN US FOR A
WEEK IN REVIEW FOLLOWED BY KELLY
CROSBY AT 1:00.
TOMORROW IS BEAT THE PRESS AND
ABBY CUMBERLAND'S SAILING
MISSION AND STAY TUNED FOR A
LIVE EDITION OF "BASIC BLACK."