Filming the World's Smartest Raptors

[@RoseNZieg]

the crew: hoping for natural behaviors from the birds the birds:

[@mortalclown3812]

😂

[@phoenixflamegames1]

When you have to wait days to see natural behaviour from a wild bird, you know the bird is a goofball 😂

[@victorsimmons6769]

Their natural behavior is bastard

[@JDH_MUSIC]

The most impressive part was how they used their claw as a pulley so they didn't have to back away.

[@danthomas6587]

That was really impressive how they did that.

[@mamotalemankoe3775]

Noticed that too.

[@MVP469]

And I thought they were dumb for doing that 💀

[@fallinginthed33p]

It would be funnier if those birds saw the experiment being set up and just did the same steps in reverse.

[@Uniquemovievault]

@@MVP469 Turns out they are smarter than you lmao

[@bemusedbandersnatch2069]

Haha, that Caracara just hopping on the camera instead of in front of it. I love these behind the scenes shorts.

[@kiuk_kiks]

Caracara’s a great example of island tameness aspect of evolutionary psychology. They evolved without any predators so they’re fearless because fear is an evolved trait.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Caracaras* are* a great example ...

[@shawns6520]

@@einundsiebenziger5488❤😂reorganized

[@Onigirli]

@@einundsiebenziger5488 What's with the ellipses? You getting a little judge-y there?

[@Yogesh-kr7bo]

​Grammar police 🚨 🤢​@@einundsiebenziger5488

[@hank87]

​@@einundsiebenziger5488"Caracara (the species/genus) is a great example" is grammatically correct and formatted appropriately by contracting it to "Caracara's" in the comment you're replying to. It genuinely doesn't matter even a little bit, but if we're going to be pedantic, let's go whole hog.

[@gangewifre]

I would absolutely watch an entire documentary about the way these guys interact with the crew, they're such clowns!

[@bluewolfwalking]

As would I!

[@tulsacaupain2882]

Yes, I would to.

[@d.h.7345]

They are called Johnny Rooks. Saw a doc a long time ago about them. Very interesting.

[@danip3270]

Always interesting to watch intelligent animal behavior! Always worth a watch. I agree!

[@Satanperkele]

Dogs with wings

[@jaungiga]

It's even more surprising when you consider that their cousins, the crested caracaras are not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. Or, to be more precise, they have the sharpness of a hammer

[@donnahensel7211]

I saw the crested caracara often when living in Venezuela. They didn't act at all like these brilliant raptors!

[@jaungiga]

@@donnahensel7211 I see them very frequently around here because they're native to this part of the world and because I birdwatch. In the past few months, I saw twice a crested caracara peeling off for a loooong time the fur of some little animal they had catched (they do that to get to the meat), only to discover when I looked through my binoculars that one "animal" was a chunk of clothes' padding and the other, a balled up plastic bag... Not very bright at all

[@touremuhammad5983]

Exactly! These birds are more like ravens than raptors.

[@ronstoppable1133]

I'd hypothesize the environment Crested Caracaras live in doesnt require much in terms of problem solving in order for them to survive

[@gertrudewest4535]

That’s definitely not true. I have four cacracara friends down here in the Sonoran desert. They are more shy, but spectacular.

[@gertrudewest4535]

Darwin also referred to them as an irritating pile of feathers.

[@VidralliaArchives]

Fair enough. I mean, if were a wounded elephant seal and a bird came and yanked at my wounds, I'd be using far more colorful language than that to describe them. Who knows what they did to T-off Darwin.

[@davecrupel2817]

They strike me as being as pesky as seagulls. So that makes sense.

[@shoubidou-bah3175]

Darwin in general had a very interesting way of describing his feelings towards species he had newly discovered :D

[@loftyradish6972]

Knowing that Darwin was also a member of a club that ate and reviewed different exotic species, I did wonder if they left out a review of "delicious" or "stringy."

[@iffracem]

@@loftyradish6972 Maybe that's it, he wanted a decent meal, but after plucking it, found it was too scrawny and all he had for his effort was an "irritating pile of feathers"

[@komikbookgeek]

"Were hoping to see some natural behaviors" Lol LITTLE DID YOU KNOW

[@medusagorgon9]

I love when animals visit with their curiosity on full blast. They fly over, climb on the photographer, or pop in for a snuggle.

[@VidralliaArchives]

2:24 "Uh... that's not what I meant when I said I wanted to get you ON camera."

[@sedamcclurg9699]

PLEASE keep going with the research on these birds. They are caracara's but many of their actions, gang related nature, and high intelligence are also very much like harris hawks that live/thrive in desert (again harsh landscapes) would love for someone to continue the great work. Thank you!

[@obsidironpumicia4074]

7:20 "Ehm-" (Atomizes pants with earth-rending fart) "Excuse the elephant seals." Good cover, mate.

[@beautybliss7127]

🤣🤣🤣

[@protonjones54]

Atomizes knickers with diabolical shatting

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

5:41 Pulls string a few times. Finds two months worth of tomahawk rib-eye steak at the other end. Raptor: "You gotta be s**tting me!??"

[@DeborahThird-og1uo]

Pulls strings: *poof* self-inflating raft *poof* self-erecting tent *poof* auto-air mattress

[@RebeccaOre]

Parrot kin, like falcons. Caracara are not close kin of eagles.

[@battokizu]

wonder how close pork and seal taste.

[@Scp716creativecommons]

​@@RebeccaOrety, exactly what I was looking for in here. They look like a falcon, or a crow, even the way they move, wanted to find out closest relative species

[@melvinshine9841]

I love the visual of the caracara sitting *on* the camera and just looking at the photographer like, "'Sup, bro?".

[@theck672]

Thanks for this behind the scenes of a truly amazing series❣️❣️❣️

[@bigbobt45]

I remember visiting Sea Lion Island while in the Royal Navy, we were sitting having our packed lunch while out having a walk and these Kara Kara just flew in next to us to share our lunch, eating right out of our hand, i loved them, very friendly.

[@Gunners_Mate_Guns]

Lucky you. btw...it's spelled "Caracara."

[@StodaGryph]

Those behaviors, and their movements, seem /really/ parrot-like. Really interesting.

[@jrodowens]

Not too far away from the parrots (and the corvids for that matter) on the Aves branch - for what that is worth

[@Calamity_Jack]

Funny you mention that. I was thinking they remind me a little of kākāpōs, nocturnal, flightless parrots found in New Zealand. They're also intelligent, curious, and social birds.

[@Badficwriter]

@@Calamity_Jack Kakapos are also difficult to film with "natural" behavior. 😄

[@bernardkealey6449]

I immediately thought of Kea

[@fouchi3203]

@@Calamity_Jack i LOVE kakapos !!! they're so fluffy

[@debn6347]

Fantastic- pure gold. Love this. Thanks!

[@HelenCamile63]

It was fun to watch the Caracara be curious about the humans and their accoutrements. ❤

[@lockout6896]

At 0.32 I already like the personality of this raptor 😂😂 They seem to act a lot like ravens and crows and even kind of look like a mix of a raptor and a raven kinda 😅

[@ShearwaterBand]

This is so great to see. I've loved these birds for almost 30 years (and first met them on Sea Lion Island, where they filmed this piece). I loved them so much, in fact, that I wrote a book about them (and the other 8 caracara species, which are just as weird and wonderful), called A Most Remarkable Creature. If you enjoyed this video, you might get a kick out of the book; it's a wild, epic journey through their lives and origins, and the people who live with them. Caracaras 4eva! - Jonathan Meiburg

[@gertrudewest4535]

I read your book! I love the Johnny rook, too!!!!

[@slickrock-p4m]

I'd say their interaction with you WAS natural.

[@GarthWatkins-th3jt]

Right you are. You have more accurate "science" to offer than an actual scientist. Or maybe you just threw something out there to see if it would stick. No, don't think so. Cheers

[@andrewhopkins886]

@@GarthWatkins-th3jt I'm pretty sure what they meant by "natural" was "what they do when humans aren't around". I don't think camera equipment is native to the falklands. Also they literally said they aren't real scientists... they're a camera crew.

[@Galaxia7]

​@@GarthWatkins-th3jtthey're not scientists, as he pointed out many times in the video, they're wildlife filmmakers

[@yc_030]

You can’t be that dense can you?

[@improbablehandle]

I'd never have thought snot had any food value - let alone elephant seal snot.

[@edwinramos4910]

That scene prematurely ended my breakfast.

[@MrGuru666999]

"We are not scientists" Yes you are, you are curious of a thesis, you are testing it. Maybe not with the rigorous protocols, but still it is science.

[@ShadowManceri]

Maybe in very loose terms it's "science". It's more of an experiment to see an observation than actually science. It's often thrown very casually around. It's like throwing mud into a fabric and saying it's a painting. Maybe little more into it than that but it's a start.

[@fuducker2]

I had the same thought. These guys should give themselves more credit. I'd wager they're advancing science purely by shedding more light on the intelligence of this animal even if their findings aren't entirely novel and rigorously procured. A replication is a replication, conceptual or otherwise.

[@110pLover]

Not lmao

[@dengueberries]

I'm sorry to say, but you are unfortunately technically wrong. It isn't science. Science is all about rigorous protocols. In science you state a hypothesis and test it with the rigour required to exclude that what you tested did not happen by chance. That means you have to do things many times and during different conditions and with control conditions. You cannot draw any scientific conclusions based on what they did. These guys did a nifty experiment but it is not scientific. It is anecdotal.

[@MonAhgasInsomniAroELF]

​@@dengueberries you have a very narrow, rule-oriented view of science. ironic, considering that a large part of science is meant to introduce new perspectives in which to view the world and challenge opinions. much of science does not follow rules. perhaps you need to learn to broaden your scope.

[@Kell-ic7yn]

My dream job. I would absolutely love to film wildlife. ❤

[@Wookie911]

You should def. Do it. I believe in you.

[@daniellemurphy9755]

They're also quite gorgeous to look at

[@martinmoody3887]

Similar in behaviour to Keas in New Zealand who, although from the parrot family, eats meat and have an omnivorous diet and are known as tricksters and 'the clowns of the alps' in many respects the same behaviour. The curiosity, resourcefulness and problem solving skills are embedded in these birds as a means of survival in harsh conditions. Beautiful footage of a bird that is obviously somewhat unique in its nomenclature..❤

[@nikiTricoteuse]

I agree. As a New Zealander l was immediately reminded of Kea. Our favourite naughty birds.

[@BlueSpiritFire1]

I was thinking the exact same thing! Especially with the way they were pulling on the crew's stuff.

[@RebeccaOre]

See DNA studies that proved the whole falcon family including caracaras are closer kin to parrots than to hawks and eagles. They're all meat-eating flying parrrots.

[@nikiTricoteuse]

@@RebeccaOre How interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[@chir0pter]

Incredible! They're like keas! Fun facts: caracaras are actually falcons, and falcons are essentially stem-parrots! But still, they must have evolved their intelligence independently

[@touremuhammad5983]

These birds are more like ravens than raptors, in my opinion. Just as curious & playful.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

On the other hand ravens also show raptor behavior as they don't hesitate to kill smaller animals for food.

[@fishyfishyfishy500akabs8]

@@einundsiebenziger5488let’s be fair, it’s not like little songbirds will pass up devouring a lizard or bug small enough to swallow. I’ve seen a sparrow fly after, catch, then rip and swallow the legs off a moth nearly as big as it is and leave it for dead, almost like a peregrine will rip the choice bits of its prey out to eat

[@shelleyeatz]

The caracaras cracked me up so much 😂😂😂

[@sim-sam]

I'm not a bird scientist I'm no intelligent-behaviour scientist I'm no scientist at all I like this bird like this vlog! well done.

[@danthomas6587]

I'd bet that if you left a cell phone there they could call for a pizza delivery.

[@cammieg4381]

Wonderful to see the behind the scenes!!

[@mandywestenra6442]

They are like the Kea in New Zealand!

[@lemon7933]

idk what is more interesting documentation of the animals or the documentation of the cameramen

[@dafnimbus]

Thank you from Massachusetts.

[@BlueSpiritFire1]

"Hopefully we'll get some more natural behaviour at some point." Caracaras: Sucks to be you buddy, this IS our natural behaviour!

[@MX.Sapphire24]

🤣

[@JeanettLou]

Der Kea unter den Greifvögeln.😍🤩

[@DIDYOUSEETHAT172]

6:15 With the speed it got the meat out, using the claw like a fulcrum was friggin brilliant!! Yep at least on a par with Ravens, Crows, Magpies. Their eyes are very keen so it will recognize the meat inside right off the bat. 10 bucks, any takers? 😁👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@word_wader]

Amazing people capturing lives and behaviours of amazing birds!

[@mynameisnotrick2768]

I've had Caracara with the white patches and orange on the head screw with us while fishing off the beaches in the Gulf of Mexico. They really are tenacious

[@beanie237]

ive been here my step father was posted there for 2 years, and its a fantastic place if you like wildlife, and yes they are very persistent lol quite often if people are walking along the beaches they carry sticks, as they like to swoop at you if you are not in groups. Elephant seals in real life are huge too. we got taken to Saunders island and dropped off for a few hours to wander around and look at the wildlife was an amazing experience.

[@alanatolstad4824]

Fascinating!

[@crisptomato9495]

4:23 those eyes though damn!

[@andrewgoodbody2121]

They both had the bluest eyes I've ever seen!

[@dengueberries]

Absolutely phenomenal. Beautiful

[@kayeroskaft9619]

So fun to watch this. Thank you

[@MonAhgasInsomniAroELF]

Never even heard about Caracaras before this video. thank you for your hard work, i hope more research is done on these beautiful, inquisitive birds!

[@SEObirder]

Striated Caracara's look much more falconish than the rest of the caracaras in my opinion, makes sense since caracaras and falcons share a family.

[@wwechampion]

This documentary is so riveting. Great job to the crew for capturing the brilliance of the carra carras

[@wheelheart]

2:24 The smile when a birb scratches your $70K cameralens with its deadly sharp talon.

[@bobbydazzler6990]

WTF is a birb? Are you trying to say the word "bird"? Are you a human infant who can not properly pronounce simple words????

[@rebekahdavis5935]

It not only knows to pull the string but holds it steady with it's other talons which is very coordinated...

[@1337fraggzb00N]

7:03 "Bob, we need dinner." "Well, I guess I could pull some strings..."

[@eewilson9835]

I love thier fur pants, and the individual connection shared with the personality in a one on one situation! So Make More, and really go all in a la Birds of Telegraph Hill but with remote wild Raptors, way way beyond where ddt hit.

[@maxi_vt]

1:27 the screech got me, idk why😆

[@tonyha3827]

On the second experiment, wouldn't it be the smell that guided it to the meat string?

[@sedamcclurg9699]

Raptors aren't known for great smell, their primary sense is their sight.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

@@sedamcclurg9699 Vultures, which are also members of the raptor (accipitridae) family, do have a keen sense of smell. In the US they are observed as a means to detect leaks in gas pipelines as they gather around those because gas to them smells like rotting carcasses. To be precise, caracaras are not hawks but falcons which are closer related to parrots than hawks.

[@haggielady]

Thank you Matt Hamilton. I love the behind the scenes looks. Please do more if possible.

[@Hallands.]

2:08 They remind me of the New Zealand Kea.

[@joseluisperezjr3285]

This is absolutely incredible!! Even used his claw to hold down the string

[@gertrudewest4535]

The Johnny rooks are absolutely some of my favorites!

[@cajsheen2594]

Greatly entertaining and informative! Thankyou! ❤ XXX

[@jameshirsch4535]

Amazing cinematography.

[@Miralee01]

There are so many amazing animals on this world many of us never hear about. BBC please do a documentary on nothing but these caracaras please! I would love to see what else they do, and could scientists do full intelligence tests?

[@debbieneel8344]

I did watch this on PBS ,very good,only nothing about the Harpy Eagle of South America

[@garlandstyle5797]

That had to be a blast. Nice Job.

[@catpax6075]

Amazing 🤩

[@fouchi3203]

2:06 cameraman : " i hope we get some natural behavior at some point" caracara: " AH AH AH AH 😂"

[@mariekastler5391]

Whatever behavior they exibit is "natural". They have learned to cast a wide net to survive their food desert. When the people start with the intelligence tests, the Caracara were like "Finally, maybe they (we) Can be taught!"

[@mtngrammy6953]

Great video! I wanted much more!!

[@steveshoemaker6347]

THAT IS SO AMAZING....Thank you....🇺🇸

[@repeat_defender]

Fascinating! It's just like watching ravens, or even parrots.

[@christian3514]

Birds are goofballs in their own way. Love it

[@a24-45]

these birds remind me a bit of keas(carnivorous parrots) in New Zealand. They are also very inquisitive.

[@RealJohnWayne]

I ❤ Raptors!!

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

👍👌👏 Oh WOW, simply fantastic! Thanks a lot for making teaching explaining recording editing uploading and sharing. Best regards luck and especially health to all involved life forms (humans, animals and plants).

[@nealpobrien]

Awesome, please do more like this!

[@Warg666]

That would be a fun job to do!~

[@matt39581]

honestly my favorite wildlife-photographer interaction: * lands on camera * HAY GUYS WHAT ARE WE TAKING PICTURES OF

[@wither5673]

they are just silly little guys lol.

[@BobyChanMan]

"Extraordinarily tame, and fearless. Very mischievous, and inquisitive. Quarralesome, and passionate" Sounds just like a human. Perhaps one day I'll get the oppurtunity to meet one of the little fellows.

[@j3m403]

that's such a nice chop lol

[@toddw6716]

What an amazing job to have

[@mrwest5552]

Fascinating.

[@mii481]

Please make a longer video with all their shenanigans!

[@d4mdcykey]

They remind me much more of ravens than raptor, we have many around here that have basically befriended the entire neighborhood, they are exceptionally intelligent, overly curious, and enjoy human interactions. Very similar behavior when figuring out food puzzles as well. Highly interesting.

[@micahnewman]

In the Falklands, Caracaras study YOU: HEY. WHAT ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT'S ALL THIS THEN?

[@lakotacamp8533]

Fascinating. I used to be a falconer in the states and the general consensus among the master falconers was that the smartest raptor is the Harris Hawk, at least for training and hunting cooperatively; so much so that new apprentice falconers were discouraged from using them because they behave so differently from other raptors. The general consensus was that owls were the least intelligent, though I question whether this isn't a bias among falconers whose ancient training techniques were designed for primarily visual hunters as opposed to owls. I would love to see research to determine the most intelligent raptor by modern scientific standards of research.

[@user-nd7rg5er5g]

Of course the birds and camera crew were excellent, but I do like the music in here too.

[@LexProntera]

Haha, nice! A falcon with a crow brain! Corvid OS running on raptor hardware 🖤🦅

[@Scavenger82]

It's like a hawk that was raised by crows.

[@carlwilliams6977]

Their curiosity and intelligence reminds me a lot of a subtropical parrot in New Zealand called the Kia. If you went on a hike, it might pick the rubber gasket out from around your windshield, which you would find in your front seat upon your return!😮😅

[@ajadrew]

Great short film!!!

[@peterbathum2775]

Thank you for sharing

[@Prettykittychimi]

My chickens would still be pecking at the glass to this day.

[@jasonbanh6175]

This is my charnel. Thanks. From long distance 🎉

[@omerthaika]

Great video

[@Antarctica2025]

Very interesting!

[@The_Bean_Head_Men]

This is so cool.

[@Mornomgir]

Film crew arrives to document birds in their natural habitat. The film crew IS the natural habitat.

[@NoHope-WhatSoEver]

Best job ever.

[@Cheere]

Lovely animals wild and free