Beak & Brain - Genius Birds from Down Under (2013) - full transcript

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A world like another planet... the
islands of new zealand and new caledonia.

Here, the birds ruled since
time immemorial.

There were no mammals until
humans introduced them.

It is no wonder that the birds scaled
new heights with unique capabilities.

This is where crows live who can use tools
like no other creature in animal kingdom.

And this is where keas live,

parrots who explore the world
and sometimes also deconstruct it.

What is it that makes these
birds so intelligent,

and how high does their flight
of the intellect soar?

At last, it's started snowing
in the mountains of new zealand.



This suits the keas down to the ground. They
are the only parrots who actually like snow,

ice, and cold.

But one thing they don't like
is being alone.

They enjoy company and, like us,

they often go visiting friends and relatives,
and they call in advance to announce their visit.

But there's no rush; The last
few meters can be done on foot.

That way, you can check whether you're welcome
and make your own good intentions clear.

The tactic pays off; The
greeting is nice and friendly.

But these two are still young,

as one can tell from the yellow
circles around their eyes,

and very soon, the cuddles
become rather less gentle.

An unambiguous gesture.

Enough is enough.

No problem. One can go let off steam
somewhere else and look for adventure.



The more bustle, the merrier.

The ski circuit turns into an
amusement park.

"Come on, let's go."

It's always the same game
with the bags.

As soon as you run to get it,
the kea runs away.

In the meantime, real winter sports...
the camper roof at a toboggan run.

Not bad, but today there's
an extra-special attraction.

What a strange device.

Must take a look at that.

Amanda greer built this
thing in the snow.

She is conducting
research into what keas eat,

and so she must know as accurately
as possible what they weigh.

The whole caboodle
is a scale,

especially made for keas,
as eye-catching as

possible to arouse their curiosity,
but also as stable as possible.

Well, who'd have thought it?

Just under a kilo.

We'll return to amanda's
kea research later. Right now,

the birds are conducting
their own research.

"What holds the world together?

But more importantly,
how can I take it apart?"

Gangs of young keas are
the scourge of the ski resorts.

Their beak is as versatile as a
swiss army knife. It can cut,

press, pry open,
and it bears fruit.

A kea beak is the ideal tool
to tap into new sources of food.

But that's not the only way
to do it.

1,000 miles away in the cloud forests of new
caledonia lives a unique species of crow.

These birds do not rely on their
beaks as a tool, rather they

make tools to get
to hidden food.

Like other crows, they are omnivorous,
on the lookout for fruit, nuts, or insects.

Indeed, they wouldn't turn up their
beaks at this hefty longhorn beetle...

if only they could
catch the critter.

For two full years, he has
gnawed his way as a larva

through the wood, and there are
more like him gnawing away...

in the old, half-rotten trunk.

Longhorn beetle larvae are rich
in fat and protein.

Just a couple are enough to
satisfy the crow's entire daily nutrition

requirement, so that makes
the exertion worth the while.

Unfortunately, they are mostly
hidden deep in the wood,

much too deep for the beak
of the crow... very visible,

but way out of reach.

What we need here is a tool;

For example,
a strong leaf stalk.

But this one is too long,
and above all, too bent.

Looks like all it needs
is a bit of poking around,

but that would only push
the larva deeper into the trunk.

No, one needs to irritate and
annoy it until it bites.

That's the trick.

Well, it would have worked if
the crow had been more careful.

And it makes its ownership claim
- "my larva."

Keep fishing until it bites.

A magnificent catch. The crow knows
exactly how to do it and what to use.

In new zealand, the same
game looks very different.

The keas don't need tools;
Their beak is tool enough.

They break everything down
into small pieces...

and they're not about to make
anyone else a present...

Apart from their
lifelong partner.

With them, things are shared,
almost tenderly.

"Half for you, half for me"...

unless one is just pretending.

What a super way to pass the time, even if
the larvae have long since been gobbled up.

Now the wood has completely
disintegrated, the fun is over.

Luckily,
a new adventure floats in...

Mist,

flying exercises in high winds
with bad visibility conditions.

At the same time, an apprenticeship
for young keas in aerodynamics.

Wind-surfing...

landing backwards...

but this here is even more attractive.
Tinted glasses are meant to be good in mist,

aren't they?

And apparently highly desirable.

Back to new caledonia,
where new things are afoot.

The ornithologist gavin hunt is
well-acquainted with the cloud

forests. For years, he has
been observing birds here.

Everything seems normal until he
makes a surprising discovery...

strange incisions in the leaves
of the pandanus tree.

Always the same pattern,
always the same depth.

Gavin has a hunch.
For days,

he examines the ground with
a keener eye until he finds it...

The matching part.

Looks like some kind of tool.

At the bottom, a wide handle,
at the top, a sharp tip with barbs

along the edge...

with the spines of the pandanus
leaf... an exact fit.

Gavin bets it's the crows.

Surely they created this,
but how can he prove it?

He decides to open a restaurant
for crows in the forest.

Wood trunks with pre-drilled
holes, in which he stows

tempting portions of meat,
but too deep for a crow's beak.

Concealed in the camouflaged
tent, he has a bird's-eye view.

He hopes the clever crows will use their
tools again in front of his very eyes.

But the guests are
a long time coming.

Are they suspicious, or is it because
the weather is rapidly deteriorating?

Looks like gavin's forest
restaurant is a flop.

The keas in new zealand
are on another wavelength.

They are not at all disinclined
to eating out, not even at night...

And that causes some confusion
in the famous wobbly kea.

Glenn is the boss here, and the
boss takes care of the cooking himself.

But now it's closing time.

Only one thing still to do... shut
everything up for the night, a daily ritual.

Turns off all the lights...

And closes the sliding door to
the kitchen. So far, so good.

But during the night, strange
things happen in the wobbly kea.

And the next morning, the
clues are highly conspicuous.

A lid is lying on
the kitchen floor,

and someone's been
at the margarine.

Glenn sets up
a surveillance camera.

He has his suspicions,
but two locked doors?

The camera lies in wait.

In the meantime, it's worth
jumping back to new caledonia

because there is something afoot in
the cloud forest of the tooled crows.

The word about the opening of gavin's
restaurant has evidently gotten around.

The first guests arrive.

What's on the menu today?
Hmm. Not bad.

Only the cutlery's missing,
but in that department,

the crows are in their element.
A fresh tree shoot.

Cut off the green bit.

That should do the trick.

Quick, back to the table.

But at the first attempt, it's
abundantly clear the stick is too short.

Just an oversight,
or is it lack of experience?

In any case, gavin's next
guest opts for a longer device.

Carefully pry out the meat, use the
foot to push against the edge of the hole.

Seems the first bite is tasty.

Ok, now for the whole piece.

But watch out. The trunk is
round, and it's rolling away.

That's the way
the cookie crumbles.

The perfect probing tool
needs a hook at the tip.

Aha! That's the way to do it.

It works!

Experienced crows know this, of course,
and they seem to know other things, too.

Gavin holds his breath;

His super tool is also
being put to use.

There's no doubt about it;

These crows are no fools when it comes to
tools, but do they really understand technology,

and cause and effect?

The question leads us
to south germany.

There are new caledonian crows
there, too.

They belong to auguste
von bayern's research station,

where the goal is to provide
examples of their intelligence.

Do they think like us when it
comes to technical things?

Somewhat formally,
auguste offers us a chocolate.

We must take it
without lifting the apparatus.

No chance.

But her crows could do it,

auguste claims,
and she sets them the same task.

Here you go.

Mighty exciting...

especially because,
at the bottom of the tube,

instead of a chocolate,
is an enticing mealworm.

But how can one get at it?

At the bottom,
everything is sealed.

How about from the top?

The bottom is much too deep.

The bird seems just as baffled
as us, somehow a relief for us.

Auguste now gives a hint...
the bottom is actually a trap door.

Using a wire as a lever,
you can trigger it open.

Although you can't tell the crow
that in so many words,

it doesn't take long before
it finds out for itself.

A slight pressure, and the trap
door drops open, and the crow

gets the worm. But does
it understand the technical

principle, that when you exert
pressure onto the bottom, it falls open?

Let's see. Auguste removes
the lever. Now everything is as it

was before, except that
the crow is a bit wiser.

The worm is lying ready.

The wire is gone,
but it seems to have an idea.

It has never handled stones
before, a brilliant technical idea.

Hey, thanks for the advice.

Quickly, back to the mountains
of new zealand.

At the wobbly kea restaurant,

in glenn's kitchen, the night phantom
is on the verge of being explained.

The surveillance camera throws
light on the subject.

Push it open and
squeeze through.

But tomcat benny certainly
doesn't like margarine.

No, he's more interested in
hunting mice outside.

And so the cat flap
becomes a kea flap,

as if that's what
he'd been expecting all along.

There's nothing
standing in his way.

Open the sliding door, and
just like a regular customer,

he marches directly up to the bar
where the margarine box is sitting.

Open the lid? No-brainer
with the all-purpose beak.

And for keas, fat is a feast.

After the gluttony, he can barely
squeeze back through the door.

Indeed, a more fitting name for the
wobbly kea would be the clever kea.

And in nature, the keas also
need this cleverness to get

enough to eat, not easy in
these bleak mountains.

We have arranged to meet up with
amanda to accompany her on a research tour.

Together with her colleague,

raoul schwing, she wants to
document how and what keas eat

in the wilderness, far away
from restaurants or ski circuits.

But so far, not a single one
has showed their face, and to

top it all, it starts raining
cats and dogs,

and nobody likes rain.

Amanda's objects of research
have retreated far off into the distance.

Nevertheless, cameraman brian has
discovered two keas on a steep slope.

It's wet and slippery there,

but you can't keep a good
cameraman down.

I'm probably not going to get that bird.
He's definitely not wanting us to follow him.

Brian wants to get
close-ups of the keas...

and they seek out a place
in the front row...

And get their action show...

Damn!

Oh, fuck!

As if they wanted to demonstrate
that you can also take gravity more lightly.

In the evening, all's right
with the world again.

Camera and cameraman only
suffered minor scratches.

And because the real keas have
made themselves scarce, amanda

and raoul conjure up their own
on the tent wall.

Here, look at this one.

The main focus of raoul's
research are the calls of the kea.

Amanda, as we already know,
is interested in their diet.

I've discovered that
they use a great deal of

different types of food,
so they're extremely selective

on what they take. They don't
just eat plants, for example.

They eat the pollen of a particular
type of plant, and then they

might move on and eat
the roots of another.

They also eat invertebrates, so
they have a huge variety of diet.

And they want to experience
as much of it as possible the next morning.

Camouflage is not necessary;

Keas like colorful things,
garish and eye-catching.

Raoul does his bit.
He plays special kea calls.

Hey, the action's over here.
Come on over.

The keas' breakfast right in
front of amanda's eyes...

sugar food, important
for their large brains.

They have learned when
which berries are fully ripe.

Animal protein is underground,
if you've got a nose for it.

And give it a rinse.

Over 100 vegetarian ingredients
enrich the kea cuisine.

Here, grass seed pastries.

Almost every day, they try out
something new or refine what

they already know. The only
way to find nourishing food in

these barren surroundings is through
intelligence and the joy of tasting.

Raoul gets to see it
with his very own eyes,

how a kea picks
flowers... strictly speaking,

only the blossom...
And how it licks the pollen out,

as if it had been listening to
amanda yesterday evening.

Now raoul gets down to work.

"Strange. What's that man up to?

Let's take a closer look."

White loop...

blue ribbon.

One final step...

and the young kea is in good
hands and can be ringed.

He doesn't wriggle or fight,
just seems slightly puzzled.

The plumage is healthy
and looks fine.

Blood sample for the genetic test, and
the service to science is over in a jiffy.

Without haste, let alone panic,
the bird hops away.

Keas seem to enjoy variety,

passing the time wherever they are
fooling around and teasing each other.

And in the absence of a partner,
then they play with toys.

This takes strength and energy,

but here,
their nutritious diet pays off.

Wonderfully tricky stoppers,
and that's how you get them open.

Pure coincidence or
technical talent?

At the university of vienna, they
are asking exactly this question.

How much technical understanding
does the kea possess?

Gyula gajdon puts the finishing
touches to the large new aviary.

It goes without saying that his
keas find it extremely exciting.

They lend a hand where they can.

And they hold on firmly to
their rights, very firmly.

They have running
water and a swimming pool...

where they can do
the backstroke.

And they even have their
very own rubber duck...

but they immediately lose interest in
all this when tulia comes into the aviary.

Gyula's wife seems to exert a
magical attraction on the keas.

Kermit is bewitched by
the scent of her skin.

He sniffs at her hair.

Again and again, they rub her
scent into their own feathers,

as if they wanted
to smell like tulia.

But let's not get too carried
away. This is a research station,

after all, and today
bowling will be investigated.

8 crooked lanes
and the peanut as the goal.

It is out of reach
underneath the pane of glass.

Not even raku can get at the
nut, however hard he stretches.

Only the bowling balls
are missing.

Somewhat slapdash at first,
but then...

there's no doubt about it.

Raku aims, throws,
and hits the target.

But now it gets more difficult.

Gyula builds a pit trap.

The balls land in the pit.

Can raku draw conclusions
from this?

Which of the two nuts
will he target?

Right choice, but a narrow miss.

He has passed the test without
any practice or training.

Keas understand more about technology
than was long considered possible...

and yet, despite their intelligence, the
species is endangered in new zealand.

There may still be a couple of
thousand of them. No one knows exactly.

They change their
territory too often,

and their breeding caves
become inaccessible.

Corey mosen is a ranger, and constantly
on the move through the wilderness.

On behalf of the
department of conservation,

he undertakes a kind
of kea count.

He checks in their breeding
caves how many chicks they have.

He is not claustrophobic;
The narrower the better.

Caves like this were once completely safe for
keas; There were no predators on the ground.

Today is different,
as corey is about to find out.

Now he holds back;
He has heard something.

A kea mother with two chicks.

They are ten days old...

feeding from beak to beak.

Now the other one,
so that neither misses out.

But what goes in must come out.

They are raised for 3 months,

completely cut off
from the outside world.

There's still time for another
detour to new caledonia at last,

to the wise crows.

They are also social animals, and everyone
in the group knows the value of a good tool.

You don't just go giving it
away, even under pressure.

[Crow squawks

if you want to fish, it's best to make your
own rod, even if it takes a bit of effort.

And everyone should have
learned how to use it.

Annoy the maggot until it bites.

But to reach gavin's fodder
rations, barbs are required...

until the meat is
hanging on a hook.

A handmade poking device.

But there was more
in their toolbox.

The top tool that
gavin encountered was...

will he finally see what it can
be used for and how it is made?

The crow in the pandanus tree
is obviously looking for food.

Quite unspectacular.

But then, as if it were the most
obvious thing in the world,

it chooses a leaf and sets about
producing our mysterious tool.

First, it rips off a thin strip.

This is the tip.

Slightly wider,
the middle piece.

And now the wide,
comfortable handle. Perfect.

A tool tailor-made to get in
between the dense pandanus

leaves to wheedle out
small snails or worms.

Gavin can hardly
believe his eyes.

It's as if the crow wanted to
put on a special show for him,

confident and well thought out.

But does it really understand
how a tool works?

The crows in bavaria in exile
deliver a convincing answer.

This log arouses their interest because
auguste has placed special sandwiches in it...

mealworms in pistachio shells.

Could pay off.

There are also tools... skewers
with flexible ends, like pipe cleaners.

How mean. It is the wrong
tool, completely unsuitable...

even though aigaios manages to
maneuver the nut upwards with great skill.

There's no way it will make it
past this corner.

No chance... or is there?

It might work like this.

Brilliant! Two at once!

Oops. Back down to one again,

but he definitely
understands tools.

Back to the wilderness,
to the keas and their problems.

Corey is still going from cave to
cave, but today is not a good day.

Man introduced predators,
such as weasels or possums,

to new zealand. They turned
this root cave into a deadly trap.

A dead female kia. Corey will
examine it later for bites and

blood traces.
The brood was killed.

No one knows what
drama played out here...

or do they? A security camera
was mounted on the cave wall.

One can't make much out.

Shadowy outlines of the chicks.

Then, from below, a predator...

A stoat.

Panic in the dark cave.

The predator bites into the
throats of the chicks.

Martens were introduced from
england because of the rabbit plague...

australian possums
for their soft hide.

Now they threaten to exterminate
the keas. What can be done?

Martin jennett works for the government,
for the department of conservation.

He is part of a kind
of kea rescue squad.

He gets dropped off in the
middle of the wilderness.

Now he's alone with himself
and his mission.

His goal is to help the keas
and deplete their enemies,

with the help of egg cartons and the
marten traps which he sets all around.

These traps work like a mouse trap... a
narrow entrance for the predators...

and inside,

a tempting chicken egg.

But getting to it is fatal;

The animal must cross
a metal plate...

and that releases
the cocked clamp.

In one fell swoop, the
predators perish without suffering.

Martin checks and replaces
the bait eggs.

He has been doing the job for a
long time, and initially it was

the keas themselves which
thwarted his success.

Out of pure pleasure and
experimentation, they managed

time and again to
disarm the traps...

even though the traps
weigh more than 9 kilos.

And that's how they got
their pure protein food.

The traps had to be anchored
or made heavier.

Thicker wood was necessary, longer
screws, and the metal grid had to be

reinforced until the traps were
finally kea-proof.

But now martin can't
believe his eyes.

This trap is untouched,
or so it seems.

Nevertheless, it has gone off,

and between the eggshells are
twigs. Did the keas do this, too?

Did they deliberately stick twigs
through the mesh to set the trap off?

Hardly likely.
Their beaks are far too crooked.

But there is
circumstantial evidence.

Here, twigs have
been broken off.

Nearby, martin finds a kea
feather and, most importantly,

he finds more traps with sticks.

Do keas also use tools,
like new caledonian crows?

It would be a
scientific sensation.

Perhaps the keas in vienna may
shed some light on the subject.

However, right now, they are
busy doing the gardening for

their aviary, but that doesn't
stop them playing their games.

But now the time has come for
them to participate in a new

comparison test...
Keas versus crows.

The rules are simple.
In the cube is a peanut.

All you've got to do
is get it out of there.

This can be done from any side
of the cube, but for each side,

one needs a different trick.

On this side, you have to
open a little door.

On the next side, there is a
hole through which you can poke,

and so on. Each bird can
choose where it wants to start.

This side seems the easiest
because the nut is simply

attached to a string which one
can grab from the outside

and pull the nut out. It's time
to start. Alice auersperg will

carry out the test...

and she sends the clever kermit
into the competition.

As expected, he chooses
the string first and pulls.

500 kilometers away, auguste
von bayern carries out the same

test with her crows,
a kind of long-distance duel.

The only difference... instead
of a nut, there's a mealworm.

Jungle the crow also opts for the
string; That seems the easiest for jungle.

One all. Child's play for both
of them. The next round will be

more difficult. The string has
been removed. Another solution

must be found.
Kermit takes a look.

Then he discovers the door
on one side.

He must be brave to stick his
head inside. Just open it a bit wider.

Hey, presto.

Kermit goes into the lead.

And because he is on a run,
he looks for the next solution

straightaway... knock
the peanut down with the ball.

Wouldn't that be fantastic?

Unfortunately,
this is the wrong hole...

And out of sheer frustration,

he starts to push the whole apparatus
and gives it a really good shaking.

This obviously breaks the rules,

although it did actually
achieve the goal.

But the point is not awarded,

and another attempt
is ruled out.

Straight back to jungle the crow because he
has also discovered the hole in the side wall.

And this tool crow knows
exactly what to do.

A stick will do the trick.

Both have twice found
the right solution. All square.

But now kermit locates the
correct inlet for the ball.

The spout leads to the nut.

Just have to shove
the darned thing in.

A nudge with his tongue...

and he goes back into the lead,

3-2. Kermit senses victory.

He only needs to manage to do
what the crow found so easy...

Push the stick through the hole.

His beak may be bent, but his
footwork is dazzling... the first

evidence that keas can also
systematically handle sticks.

Pity that this hole is blocked.

Only the string works here.

Try as you might,
nothing else will crack it.

Swiftly, back to jungle the
crow, who has also now

discovered the spout which
leads directly to the worms.

The ball's just the right thing.

Awesome. Neck and neck, 3 all.

They both have just
one more task.

The crow must open the door,

swivel it to the side. No mean feat if
you've never opened a door before.

The door is open.
But put my head in there? Me?

You've got to be kidding.

Kermit is still wrestling
with his stick.

For him, this is the greatest
challenge of them all.

It's the right opening...
but now the stick is jammed.

Drat! Alice feels for him.

Kermit's bad luck gives jungle
the chance to prevail, and sure

enough, he pulls it off without
even putting his head at risk.

But right at that moment,
kermit also finally succeeds.

Neither of them gave an inch,

einsteins of the
bird population.

Where does this amazing
intelligence come from?

Why are keas so smart, not to
mention new caledonian crows?

For a start, they are social
animals. They live like us,

in groups and families.

And for that,
intelligence is required.

One must constantly
reckon with the others.

One must maintain
one's position.

One must keep on one's toes and
be ready for surprise attacks.

Keas can be quite rambunctious,

but social intelligence
is also essential here.

It's about making the right
friends and nurturing friendships.

One needs to find partners to
play with, enjoy a bit of rough

and tumble,
without hurting each other...

now and then,
invent new alternatives...

and always go along with
what the partner wants.

Without intelligence,
that would hardly be possible.

But there's another
crucial element.

Just like us, these birds have
an unusually long childhood,

and that means time to learn to
train the mind and to develop...

right from the outset,

from their time in the cave.

Games with sticks.

It's no different for the young
crows in the cloud forest.

They learn and practice for
an unusually long time,

almost two years, to do
things like the old crow does.

First, watch how mother does it.

She willingly leaves them
the poking stick.

A probing look. The next generation
seems interested and eager to learn...

only their stamina leaves
something to be desired.

Hardly has the mother
flown away...

than the stick is discarded.

This young bird has
found a pandanus tool.

However, if you hold it the wrong
way round, with the wide handle down,

it won't get you very far.

On the contrary, the tip causes
problems, so things can also go

wrong for young crows. This
one has yet to learn, for example,

that not everything that fits in
the beak is also good for poking.

No, that's not the way to do it.

Young keas also have to
learn from scratch;

What you can eat and what not,

what drinks taste good
and which ones do not...

how snow feels and what you can
do with it, and so on.

They are crazy about anything new,
and every experience trains their mind.

They even test our mini-camera.

They make me laugh all the time, but
mostly I'm just fascinated by watching them.

They are always doing
something different.

They're always exploring and trying
to see what happens if they do this,

and in some way
that's inspiring.

They're like little scientists when
they're exploring and doing all their

different experiments,
if you like. Heh!

Their amazing desire to learn and
explore is the key to their intelligence.

They want to find out how things are
connected and interact with each other,

and how they can use
this for their own benefit.

In that respect, they are almost
irritatingly similar to us...

The high flyers from the
other side of the world.