# Question about mirrors



## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Has there ever been a tiel that realized that a mirror is only its reflection?


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

Haha not that i've heard of! Though maybe they know but they admire anyway :lol:


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

I know that Alex the african grey wasn't fooled. But then again, he was much smarter than any tiel


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

Amz, I've done a study on this topic. It's this thing called a mirror test, I found it very fascinating. However, on Wikipedia, it doesn't say anything about parrots passing it, but perhaps it is slightly outdated. Parrots are incredibly intelligent, so I think they could be added on. Small birds like pigeons have passed it, so tiels may be up in the air

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_test#Animal_species_capable_of_passing


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

I've heard of bigger parrots being able to recognize themselves in a mirror, but never cockatiels. I guess they're not smart enough, lol.


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## Lulu-Tiel (Jun 3, 2012)

I think Lulu realizes it isn't actually another bird but I don't think she has the concept to know that it is her reflection, either. Lucas on the other hand is very afraid of the mirror because of the other bird.


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## kan3288 (Jan 28, 2013)

I took a class in college where we talked about animals who self-identify. I'm pretty sure it's only been proven that monkeys/apes and dolphins have the ability to identify themselves in a mirror. I don't recall any birds being able to, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's something they find out in the future considering how smart they are. I haven't seen any evidence of that with my tiel though- he just gets scared and thinks it's another bird.


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## karendh (Mar 25, 2013)

I watched a tv programme where it was proven that elephants are able to recognise themselves.


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