A Conspiracy of Ravens.

Dr. Don Griffin stood in front of the science class, strangely speaking of ravens. His students tilted their heads in question marks, wondering where he was heading with this line of reasoning. He had gone completely off topic.

But Don had had a very enlightening conversation with Zelda, one of his more eccentric students, about the behavior of the birds which she watched and observed on a daily basis outside the rooftops of her home.

Zelda's observation.

They were having lunch outside in the warm and slightly windy summer afternoon, a favorite spot for the more outdoor types at midday break.

"Dr. Griffin, I have noticed something quite peculiar about the birds on a daily basis". They had been watching the colorful array of avian life perched on trees and electrical wires in the distance.

"What do you mean Zelda". He asked between mouthfuls of his sandwich.

"Well. It is summer again and I am getting ready to watch the birds happily flitting outside my window. Many babies are trying out their new wings. But something seems off.

Maybe its my imagination, but I think I hear the birds plotting when they think we are sleeping. My eyes, with minds of their own, pop open at 4am, long before mornings should actually awaken".

"Maybe your eyes are just anticipating the birds, who come singing outside your window. Have you been reading Poe again, and his ravens come to your mind. Of what could they be speaking, as they tap at your windowsill".

They both laughed at the funny Poe reference.

"I got into the habit of listening at 4am every morning, as the birds conversate quite loudly, tweeting their plans, perched on the rooftop view from my window.

Half an hour or so goes by...before the avian symphony quietly subsides to a trilling warble of barely audible birdsong. Then as if in agreement, they soar silently into the sky, off to whatever secret pastime the aforementioned conversation, designated them for the continuation of their day.

I am becoming quite concerned, paranoid maybe...so I am seriously observing, as birds are chatting every early dawn, meeting as if by design to make plans and organize their days". Zelda paused, admiring as a flock of birds flew in V formation across the blue of the sky.

The birds in the trees took to the air with a great flurry and flapping of wings. Almost as if they were off to report to the ravens that they heard me tattling on them. Zelda laughed out loud at her own thought.

"I think we may have just had the same thought, they are off to tell on you".

The professor smiled as his student looked at him with admiring eyes. How astute, she thought to herself. Maybe he was the best person to approach with her wild ideas after all.

"It's been a while, but I watch and listen to their antics all day long. I never noticed before, the harmony in what they do, it seems that in every tweet is a message, advice or song,

Just like us, they seem to plan, organize and execute their days with precision...Tiny they may be, but remember Sampson and Goliath of the Bible, its not size but brains that matter".

"Now Zelda, as it seems like everyone...birds, AI, ElonandTrump, and every other mad hatter, are having delusions of grandeur, their egos bloated with grand plans and designs, to take over the world, I figure we better watch the birds rather curiously, for they too might be making elaborate tweeting schemes, for world domination".

He was not laughing as he said this, the young woman noted. Maybe he believed, even a little bit in what she was saying.

She was envisioning the ravens, trapping us in our houses, as they awaited our timid steps outside our doors, when the birds will proceed to peck us to death, while tap...tap...tapping at our skull and brain!!!

"We may be watching AI...But it's the birds, as they come rapping at our windowsills, which may be our undoing! For...when evening makes its weary appearance, the birds again congregate, and go again chirping upon the rooftops...As if explaining the happenings of the day, before flitting off to bed, where they will smilingly dream and plot the next steps in their diabolical plot...Of world domination"...

"What an interestingly sage thought, Zelda". The professor mused.

They both became lost in their own reverie, before rising to the other half of the day.

......

So when the class resumed, and Griffin proceeded to speak about the habits of birds, diverting from the normal topic, Zelda felt a chill run down her spine.

Maybe she was not been completely crazy. What if he knew something which she did not. What if there was just an iota of truth in what she was imagining, or was it more of a premonition.

The students murmured amongst themselves. Griffin raised his hand...

"Ok. just hear me out for a while. I think that this is important". Quiet resumed.

"Many of us as children may have wondered what’s going on inside the mind of an animal - what are they thinking and feeling? Most animal researchers study science because of their fascination with animals, but for a long time scientific norms made it impossible to even raise the question of animal consciousness without losing scientific credibility.

Fortunately, those days have ended, thanks in large part to pioneering work by scientists who argue that animal minds should be a topic for scientific study".

Philosophers, Don told his students, study consciousness, and in recent research, studied by other scientists...they explore what the world might be like from the point of view of corvids, the family of birds that includes ravens, crows, jays and magpies.

“Birdbrain”. One of his students shouted, as the class giggled.

"That used to be a common insult, but corvids have such surprising intelligence that they are sometimes described by scientists and journalists as “feathered apes”.

"Now, “feathered apes”, I can live with, but they do look more like tiny flying dinosaurs, if you ask me". A female student in the front, yelled, pointing at the male students.

The female students giggled, the male students pouted.

"Ok, ok. But let's go beyond intelligence. To do this we shall examine five dimensions of their experience by combing through studies on their behavior, cognition, brains, emotions and consciousness".

Griffin fiddled with his computer, pictures popped up on the screen, quite organized, as if previously prepared, Zelda though, getting even more paranoid.

"Corvids’ eyes have incredibly sharp resolution that allows them to navigate while flying at high speeds and to find potential sources of food. Their hearing is excellent, allowing them to even distinguish reliable from unreliable group members by assessing and remembering their alert calls.

They also have a good sense of smell, which they use to help them find nuts and other food they have hidden. Unfortunately, we do not know how their smell compares to a lot of other animals, because there are not enough studies on corvids’ sense of smell yet". Griffin paused to adjust his screen.

"Maybe give them a whiff of Martina's perfume...Mmmm... so very yummy. Jackson said loudly.

"Aw, shuttup Jacko, maybe they should smell your gym clothes after practice".

"Cheap shot, cheap shot. Martina. But you may be right, that sucker is pungent". Laughter scattered all around.

"Emotional lives of corvids". Griffin continued.

"Corvids show cognitive biases, similar to humans. They have negative moods and show signs of pessimism after observing similar states in others.

But they also show positive moods after successfully using tools ... just like humans. And they can also show neophobia - wariness of new objects.

Even if you come with treats to give them, corvids are reluctant to fly close to someone they haven’t met before, but are confident with humans they know well - another common human trait.

It is common for people to only attribute emotional lives to mammals, but corvids show that we should study the emotions of birds in more detail".

Could she have been right, Zelda wondered, getting more worried by the minute.

"We humans have one stream of consciousness. But birds lack a corpus callosum, the structure that connects the two brain hemispheres in us and other mammals".

"Guys lack a corpus callosum. They lack a hemisphere somewhere. Right Dr. G. Jackie asked, being quite serious

Griffin shook his head, smiling.

"Bird's brain halves show a lot of division of labor, such as using their different eyes to focus on different tasks. However, it could suggest a kind of partial unity different from our own.

Perhaps their consciousness is more like split-brain, in human patients who have had their corpus callosum cut to reduce the effects of seizures. When two pictures are presented in their respective left and right visual fields, these people will draw what they see on the left side with their left hand, whereas they will verbally describe what is on the right, giving the appearance of two selves in one body".

Everyone became quiet, now listening with a silent interest.

"There is a Consciousness across time...

Corvids show remarkable abilities in their sense of self across time. Because they often hide food (scientists call this caching), they can remember not just where they hid food, but also what kind of food it was and how long ago they hid it.

Here their memory far outstrips our own or, for that matter, most other animals when it comes to hiding objects, with some corvids caching and remembering over a thousand food items in a month for later consumption. No human would be able to remember that many hiding spots.

Corvids can even plan, collecting and storing a tool such as a spoon for future use.

They have a rich sense of self.

They not only recognize themselves in mirrors, but also understand other minds. Research has shown corvids go back to remove cached food and hide it elsewhere if they know they have been observed - but only if they have stolen from others in the past.

Male jays will watch the feeding behavior of a female they want to court, so they can bring their preferred food. Even more solitary corvids, such as ravens, seem to have well-developed social skills, which scientists used to think were largely restricted to mammals.

"I'm bringing you food, Janie, so I can court you". Milt had tried and failed to get a date. Janie ignored him, hiding a smile.

"In all of this, there is still a great deal of uncertainty. For most species, it is a lack of research, not a lack of capacity, that keeps us silent on what their subjective experiences are like.

This research also has implications for corvid welfare. Understanding what the world is like for an animal means understanding what feels good and bad for them.

All this should be taken into account when deciding how to care for these birds when kept in cavity, and how to minimize welfare risks in other interactions with them".

..............Griffin had barely finished speaking when there was a great sound of cawing and other mixed bird-sounds outside the window. They were everywhere...perched on everything.

He ran to the window, the birds began tapping at the glass. Griffin stepped back in horror.

Suddenly, there came a whirring of helicopter wings. The birds scattered.

Men in black suits burst into Griffins classroom.

"Come with us now professor". They ordered. He grabbed his computer.

"Stay in the classroom. Lock all the windows. I will alert the rest of the school". He turned to Zelda...."You are right, it's the birds, we may be doomed".

.......................................

Quoth the Raven!

Zelda knew now that her nightmare had been real...the ravens had infiltrated her dreams...one had spoken to her.

"Caw, caw...I see you human, , stealthily watching from behind your windowsill. Listening, as we make our plans. You won't see us coming, we will be like the thieves of the old storied 'good book'...Like them who come in the night, taking it all while you sleep.

---Where did you come from Poe's Raven...my mind wonders, as I withdraw out of sight of the piercing eyes and deep gravely caw of the large and menacing bird. I have not seen you here before.

Quietly, he stares at my window, ruffling his dark and imposing feathers. With one last chilling screech...he rises majestically, spreading the black and dreaded wings, soaring on the wind...knowing full well that I watch**and wonder where he goes and when he will return.

To sleep and dream-tossed slumber went I.

Morning dawned dark and dreary, as I to the window hied, hearing the tap, tap, tapping upon my windowsill.

Now the dream has become a reality.

...

Tis the birds. Birds everywhere!!!

No one dared leave their homes.

The helicopter rose into the sky, unidentifiable, as birds swarmed and pecked. It fell from the sky, exploding on impact. The birds broke through the glass windows and doors of the school.

The screams were unholy and terrifying. The phone lines went dead, cellular towers toppled, reported the last of the transmissions on radios and television. The whole world was in chaos.

Zelda hid for as long as she could. The ravens led and the birds, well organized...destroyed humanity.

Zelda knew that they would find her, and even if they did not, she would probably starve to death. At some point, she would have to emerge...and they would be waiting.

The Ravens...oh so many black and ominous ravens...caw, caw, cawing rather dreadfully...EVERYWHERE!

.........

It was the birds...the birds that we should have been watching. It was not AI which was our undoing, it was the birds that ended us all. They had used AI to distract us from the actual truth.

David again slew Goliath!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Excerpts from...

Walter Veit, a Lecturer in Department of Philosophy at the University of Reading. Heather Browning, a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Southampton.

The Independent.

(Donald Griffin, a scientist, from the 1980s to his death in 2003 argued that animal minds should be a topic for scientific study). People are now listening.