When the Raven Met the Pigeon

On February 3rd, Molly Sultany’s Advanced Biology class was joined by the raven Aristophanes, an educational bird from the Audubon Society of Portland, as part of a unit on bird behavior.

“We do a case study on Corvids (crows, ravens and jays),” Sultany said. It is a fantastic opportunity for students to observe animal behavior directly and learn abut the incredible cognitive abilities of Corvids.”

For the past two years that Aristophanes has visited, he has been a huge hit among the class.

During Aristophanes’ visit, Sultany had the class record behaviors they observed in 10-minute intervals. They recorded things such as vocalization, rousting (ruffling of the feathers), beak cleaning and panting. These are all signs that Aristophanes was relaxed in the classroom environment.

“At first, the bird seemed nervous because he was really timid,” Aaron Hollomon, a senior, said. “He quickly became pretty comfortable though as we all started talking and asking questions. Defecating is a sign of a bird being calm. I laughed every time he pooped.”

The main focus of Aristophanes’ visit was on bird behavior. Deanna Sawtelle, the bird’s handler, told the spectators that Aristophanes is the only bird that receives negative reinforcement (due to his nature), also known as classical conditioning, a concept that the Advanced Biology students have been learning about.

“Homo sapiens and Corvids share many attributes: we are both highly social, insightful species that use learning, environmental cues and relationships to shape our behavior,” Sultany said. “We both use tools, manipulate our environment and display theory of mind- we can infer what other organisms are thinking/feeling and act accordingly.”

For the past two years that Aristophanes has visited, he has been a huge hit among the class. According to Hollomon, Aristophanes’ visit is the type of hands-on experience that all classes should have.

“Nothing can beat a hands-on learning experience,” Hollomon said. “I think Northwest Academy and Molly Sultany are both really good about realizing that. The bird put everything we’ve been learning into action.”