birds

I have a companion- a Congo African Grey Parrot- who continually causes me to pause and think about the nature of cognition. Before the advent of Mithu, I had considered the thought process to be something that , if not uniquely human, was at least uniquely mammalian. Fish think? nah. Reptiles think? nah. Amphibians? too squishy. Birds? tiny crania.
Enter Mithu, exit all preconceived notions of cognitive ability.
Although certain elements of operant conditioning affect our relationship, there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that this bird learns, and puts together her learnings into new ideas that inform her behavior.
Wordy, wordy, wordy...but pay attention- it says what I need to and mean to say. Mithu is a small, feathery, aware being with maniac tendencies. Examples will help, so here are some, and there will be more in future posts.

Levels of relationship and nice behavior
We have been working on acceptable behavior, on becoming a little less selfish, and a little more kind toward the other beings in Mithu's life. She has favorites, certainly. I am a favorite. "Heddur" is a favorite. Bill was a favorite. Favorites get to hold a bird, pat a bird, play with, and walk around with a bird without getting the snot bitten out of them. Non-favorites get bitten quickly and ruthlessly if they try to touch her. Mithu also has a catergory of in-betweens. These are the beings that have entertainment value, or hold her curiosity. She seems to experiment with the in-betweens, to see just what they will do , and how much abuse they will take.
Dogs qualify as in-betweens. She calls them, and laughs when they come. She orders them around ("go lie down!", "come here!", "sit!", and "bad dog!") She feeds them- and they are a willing understory. I rarely have to sweep the crumbs from the floor where she's tossed them treats- peanut bits, bird kibble, toast crust, vegetables, etc. "Here doggie!"