Bird furiously pecks at can with photo of bird on it

Do you think the bird would peck at the can even if it didn't have a bird on it?

(Via I have seen the whole of the Internet)

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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Anonymous

Australian Peewees (also called pied mudlarks) attack reflections of themselves, for example in car mirrors or old-style hub caps.
PolishQ

The bird on the can is a computer-generated “Chocobo” from the new Final Fantasy videogame. Maybe our feathered friends have a more violent reaction to the uncanny valley?
Daemon

Given that for much of the video it can’t even see the bird on the can, I lean towards it liking the sound.
Anonymous

For the nerds (like me) out there, the title of the video translates to “Chocobo vs. chocobo?” which makes it funnier.

Well. If you’re a nerd. Like me.
Anonymous

Bird cages will often have a little mirror for the bird to peck at. I think they attack like that for territorial reasons. Either that or they get really bored. My captcha says “involves cheeping,” by the way.
Jerril

The can is made from pretty flexible and thin metal – I don’t think the bird’s doing any more damage to its brain than it would if it was just vicsiously headbanging (which some parrots will do – sometimes just because they’re bored and sometimes because they’re showing off)

Even little cockatiels (I think that’s a cockatiel) are pretty smart, and I suspect it’s more like ‘AHAHAHA I LOVE THIS BIG NOISE I’M MAKING! CAN’T IGNORE ME NOW, STUPID MONKEY!’
Aurini

Good God, man, your ancestors were dinosaurs – have some bloody self-respect!
cowtown

That is a cockatiel, probably a boy based on how bright his plumage is. He might be territorial and pissed off, but I would guess he’s enjoying the racket and the thought that he might be breaking something. If he were actually in fear or pain, his first little birdie instinct would be to fly or hop (if his wings are clipped) away. Count me as another vote for ‘AHAHAHA I LOVE THIS BIG NOISE I’M MAKING! CAN’T IGNORE ME NOW, STUPID MONKEY!’
Tamooj

While the bird image on the can makes for a great viral video, the posters who think the little guy is just making noise are likely correct. I’m a parrot person and they just love to make noise with things like this. Cockatiels are especially fond of doing things like this. And no, it’s not going to hurt him at all; his head is made to peck at stuff, and the can is empty and flexes. He’s just having fun.

Oh, having four chromaplasts in their eyes doesn’t mean parrots can’t see printed images; they are probably better at resolving images than we are in fact. However, they can’t resolve images on old TV screens (CRT) because the raster rate doesn’t seem to work for their brains… but LCDs and such work great for them. Watching parrot videos on YouTube with me is a favorite activity for my cockatoos.
carrieburrows

That’s a mating/territorial thing that cockatiels do.
bravestarr

My grandparents used to have a parrot (don’t know what kind, mostly green with some red, was smuggled in from Guatemala by their son, back when you could get away with that kind of stuff). He HATED cans. If you held up an aluminum can anywhere near him he would completely freak out. If you put it down near him he’d peck at it and attack it or run away and hide from it.

Wonder if there’s some strange thing about aluminum cans certain birds hate.
dole

HE HATES THIS CAN! STAY AWAY FROM THE CAN!!
- kevomatic
  
  WIN.
Anonymous

Give it can with a pair of bongos and a little beret
Anonymous

I have a parrot, and he does this as well. Whenever he sees above a picture of a bird or is standing on a mirror, he bangs is beak on it repeatedly. I think it has something to do with feeding. When a bird bobs its head life that, it means it is about to regurgitate food to share. So maybe the cockatiel is trying to feed the chick.
Anonymous

I doubt if he recognizes the picture. The picture is undoubtedly printed with inks distributed according to the three human primary colors. Birds see in four primary colors which are different from the human ones.
Awemaker

I used to keep doves for my magic act, and when these birds saw anything with a shiny highlight, the automatically pecked at it, thinking it was a seed to eat.
Anonymous

Now with accompaniment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO4UBO5zL1M . (-:
Anonymous

You can’t determine the sex of a cockatiel by the brightness of its plumage. Its behavior indicates it’s probably a male (the wings spread a bit, repetitive behavior, drawing attention…they all scream male showing off)…I agree with most people that he’s probably enjoying the noise he’s making or wants some attention. Cockatiels are very passive — they’d much rather fly away than try to fight something
TedJohnson

I just want to hear Kutiman (the man behind http://thru-you.com) incorporate this into one of his pieces.
JIMWICh

Welcome To Finland?!
Anonymous

I messed with the video a bit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00cSfnTIJ3U
phillamb168

Perhaps it’s a Flinstones audition?

Now if only I could find some nails with tiny bird heads on them, I’d finish the house in no time.
IWood

I know I would. I’m a can pecker.

It’s a problem.
Anonymous

Maybe he is just trying to free his brother from his Kyptonian-like prison.
Anonymous

Methinks bird might have gotten a bit shitfaced from polishing off that carton of fine Ichiko Shochu right behind it.
alowishus

Vile creature! Look into its beady alien eyes! It wants to kill!
Andor

But that bird loves making noise!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZMPLJUcN9M
Anonymous

Looks like the bird really doesn’t like Final Fantasy chocobos…
Anonymous

What is that? Bird juice?
Anonymous

It is trying to free it’s captive brethren.
shutz

Someone please remix this, NOW!

I wish I had time to do something… I’m sure someone will beat me to it before I get a chance to try.

But, mark my words (or don’t, I don’t care) I WILL try.
Anonymous

I can has pecker
Anonymous

Cockatiels just like to make noise. Ours will bang on anything – getting him a drum set one of these years.
Mycroft

Maybe it just likes the sound.
EH

i hate to be a killjoy but it starts pecking before it can even see the bird on the can. i think it just likes pecking at cans.
Anonymous

A bird banging his beak and face against a can with such force could seriously harm the bird.

Not cool.
significantpickle

It’s a cockatiel and it’s a male. I have a couple plus some parrots. It can see the picture on the can and recognize it, but that’s not why it’s pecking on it. It’s just pecking at it because it doesn’t want the can in it’s territory, which you can tell it’s being aggressive because of how it’s wings are splayed out. Very unlikely it’s hurting the cockatiel, but it is making it more aggressive.