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marmorset t1_jccvdqg wrote

Reply to comment by RedSonGamble in TIL: Black Herons turn their wings into an umbrella to “canopy feed”. The umbrella provides shade, which draws fish to the surface where they can be seen and caught more easily. by Geek_Nan

What's compelling them to do it? There's an advantage to doing it so the birds who did it initially had a better chance to survive and reproduce, but what was initiating the behavior in those early bird to create shade while hunting fish?

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[deleted] t1_jcdxin1 wrote

[deleted]

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marmorset t1_jcdy7ex wrote

No, but I didn't then decide to fish. And the sun isn't in their eyes, they're doing it because the fish prefer shaded areas. That's a whole different level of thinking. My hand blocks the sun, now I can see better, versus, my wing blocks the sun, now a separate animal will change its behavior.

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Slavocracy t1_jcd1wje wrote

They noticed there were more fish in shaded water so they started simulating it for easier hunting.

Animals are far more intelligent than you're giving them credit for.

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conquer69 t1_jcd6qwp wrote

What you are describing is learned behavior which is different from instincts. Similar to beavers building dams despite never seeing a body of water in their life.

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Slavocracy t1_jcdb7x4 wrote

If an animal exhibits a learned behavior enough through generations it will become instinct.

Beavers are a great example here too.

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a_flat_miner t1_jcfb62c wrote

That's not how evolution or instincts work at all. This is essentially saying that if a creature lodges it's neck between two rocks and pulls enough, future generations will eventually have long necks

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