Are Harris Hawks Colour Blind - Part 1

[@JeremyThePlayer88]

Impressive work right there! That was quite entertaining for sure! At one point, Sam didn't want to fall for your tricks even though you encouraged him to check the 3rd block. By the way, there is something I want to say about hawks seeing color. There's actually one type of color that they can see but we can't see. Its the ultraviolet range! That's not a color anyone could paint on a block though! Its simply just a naturally occurring color.

[@nqbopwalesstaples9416]

Hi, thanks for the comment glad you liked the clip. This was the first colour experiment. We decided to concentrate on red as when we fly Sam at night we have used a red light to bring him back to the glove, so it seemed logical. The more he plays with this toy (off camera), the less interested he is in the blue and yellow lids, it's usually: fly in, open red, get food, fly off! We decided to stick with red for other devices too. There is an article you may be interested in regarding Harris Hawks colour vision royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2018.1036 It's a bit wordy, but overall interesting.

[@JeremyThePlayer88]

Oh my gosh, I just learned something new on that article you provided here. Apparently, Harris Hawks only have 1/10th contrast sensitivity as humans. What that means is that if you placed a red cup and a slightly darker red cup next to it, Sam won't be able to tell the difference! The color tints would have to only be slight enough for you to notice. Also, its hard to believe that Harris Hawks have the same achromatic spatial resolution as us. Think about it, since these hawks catch small mammals, they need to be able to accurately pinpoint small details of an object compared to other objects. It is a 100% fact that Harris Hawks can see prey quicker than we can, so the tests seem inaccurate on that metric. The tests seem very advanced by using mechanical doors with a remote to open them! This way, someone could stand behind the closed door to place the meat in it! That way the hawk doesn't try to cheat and it doesn't skew the results. I know this test was only done to determine the contract sensitivity and the colour vision, not the achromatic spatial resolution. Obviously they can see more colors than us, without a doubt! I am always learning things about hawks, because guess what? I want to become a Falconer one day, hopefully by the end of next year. The very idea of getting inside a hawk's mind is the one thing that's inspired me to get into the sport!

[@andersonizidoro4465]

Amazing!

[@oldsagerat]

My Harris Cisco is too bloody fast and easy with his feet for me to try this. We'd have to work on it a bit. I wish I could share a picture I have of Cisco and a red pouch of Prince Albert pipe tobacco. He was fascinated with it. Just weathering in my backyard. I was smoking my pipe. Frankly, I'm loving these videos ! Crows can, in my opinion, sod off. A Harris is much more entertaining !

[@nqbopwalesstaples9416]

Just take it slowly our Sam was extremely footy before these enrichment sessions. You most certainly would not put your bare hand out near food or your face near him. He became a different character when he understood it was fun and games. Much nicer bird, but he can still turn on the mean hunter when he goes out.

[@oldsagerat]

Besides mad woodworking skills, do you have any background in animal behavior ?

[@nqbopwalesstaples9416]

Do parenting skills count? Otherwise no.