Natural History Wanderings

Until recently it was believed that only humans and great apes used pointing gestures to communicate.  Science Daily reports that Simone Pika from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and Thomas Bugnyar from the University of Vienna have proven that Ravens also use pointing gestures. They observed  ravens in the wild and saw that they used their peaks to show and offer objects such as moss, stones and twigs. The behavior was directed primarily to test interest or strengthen bonds with the opposite sex.

Read more at  Science Daily ‘Look at that!’ Ravens gesture with their beaks to point out objects to each other.