Magpie 'can recognise reflection'

Magpies are able recognise themselves in a mirror, a report published in 2008 suggests.

Scientists used the Gallup mark to test the animal's self awareness.

A yellow mark was placed beneath its beak, a part of its body that it cannot normally see, and it was then shown its reflection in a mirror.

This footage reveals that the bird tries to remove it - suggesting that it knows that the image in the mirror is of itself and it could possess some kind of self-awareness.

This is the first time a bird has been seen to pass this test.

Footage courtesy of Plos Biology/Prior/Ariane Schwarz/Onur Gunturkun