Albatrosses show personality differences

A team of scientists have developed an intriguing method for determining how bold an albatross is.

Lying low in the cold grass of the Crozet Islands, in the southern Indian Ocean, they push a plastic toy cow towards the birds with a stick. This novel stimulus allows the team to measure the response of the bird.

Some of the birds did not seem that bothered by the inflatable toy, but others attacked it.

The research provides further evidence that differences in personality are not limited to humans and higher primates, but are also present in other animals such as birds.

Footage courtesy of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa