A team of German neuroscientists and psychologists from the Universities of Bonn and Bochum reported evidence that roosters can recognize themselves in a mirror. The findings appeared in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, a publication known for peer‑reviewed research across biology and psychology.
Only a handful of animal species have demonstrated self‑recognition in controlled settings. Among these are magpies, some primates, elephants, and dolphins. In many other species, the mirror image is misread as a separate conspecific, prompting social or alarmed responses that reflect vigilance rather than self‑awareness.
In the experiments, a rooster was placed in a small arena split by wire fencing. In some trials, a rival rooster occupied the opposite section; in others, the opposite side was empty. At times a mirror was mounted on the fence, which blocked the rooster from seeing a potential second bird on the other side. Additional trials introduced a simulated predator—shadows projected onto the ceiling to mimic a hawk, an element that tends to trigger warning calls among poultry and their mates when danger is perceived.
Observations indicated that roosters crow more frequently when they detect a predator’s shadow or when they sense nearby roosters. Yet when a mirror was present, the birds largely stayed quiet, suggesting a recognition of their own appearance rather than reacting to what they perceived as a rival. This behavioral pattern aligns with the idea that self‑recognition can dampen alarm signaling in social animals when the visual input is identified as self rather than another individual.
Historically, some early researchers noted that certain indigenous cultures and early observers described close affinities or parallels between humans and animal behavior. Modern science, however, emphasizes cautious interpretation and robust replication to understand the cognitive processes behind such findings. The Bonn‑Bochum study contributes to a growing body of work examining the boundaries of self‑awareness in non‑human animals, inviting further inquiry into how different species perceive mirrors, social cues, and potential threats in their environments.