A Bird Watcher's Field Guide to Reasoning

(a Reasoning field trip)

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While we by no means wish to infer that logic is for the birds, we have sighted several flocks of web pages that employ our feathered friends to explain various aspects of logic representation and reasoning pathways. It occurred to us that it would be useful (and a fun challenge) to collect examples employing the bird theme so as to create a common basis for observing, understanding, and comparing them.

Analogy

"Yesterday, I saw a bird that gave the call "chick-a-de-de-de" at my birdfeeder, and identified it as a Chickadee. Today, I heard the call "chick-a-de-de-de" again in the yard, but did not see the bird. It must have been a Chickadee." (S.B.)

"When I was birding in Germany, I heard a call "chick-de-de" that reminded me of the Carolina Chickadees, who say "chick-a-de-de-de" at my feeder in Pittsburgh. These birds are in the Parus (titmouse) family. I reasoned that the bird must have been from the Parus family, called "Meise" in German. (It was a "Kohlmeise", Parus major, as I found out a few moments later.)" (From S.B., who adds that this is a true story.)

Case-Based Reasoning

You want to feed a new parakeet, but don't know what to give it. However, you once had a parrot who liked nuts, so you decide that the parakeet will probably like them too–but you use a smaller portion, because the parakeet is smaller. (D.L.)

"This morning, I saw a red bird at my birdfeeder that looked very much like a Cardinal. However, Cardinals have orange beaks, and this bird had a black beak. I know that juvenile birds often have different colored beaks and legs, so this must have been a juvenile male Cardinal." (An actual experience shared by S.B.)

"On Chirstmas morning, I saw a bird at my thistle feeder that had all the fieldmarks of a Goldfinch. But the bird was olive, and not bright yellow like the Goldfinches I had seen at this feeder all summer long. However, from reading about Starlings, I know that some birds have different colored feathers over the course of the year. So, this must have been a Goldfinch in winter plumage." (S.B.)

Collaborative Systems

Given the information that I have, and the information collected by my friends . . .

Common Sense

If it walks like a duck, looks like a duck, and sounds like a duck . . . /or/ Everyone knows that any bird who pecks at trees is a woodpecker. [For those of you who are curious as to why a duck, simply click on our duck's head!]

Constraint-Based Reasoning

It's a bird that can mimic human speech...it has six letters in its name, and the first letter is "P".

Decision Making

Design

Fuzzy Logic

It was a big bird...not very large...and it was yellowish, so it must be a . . .

Logic and Formal Reasoning

Tweety is a bird. All birds can fly. Therefore, Tweety can fly.

Nonmomotonic

Birds fly, but penguins and dead birds do not.

Planning & Scheduling

Qualitative Reasoning

The heavier a bird is, the larger wingspan it must have to stay in the air. (B.K.)

Real-Time Problem Solving

Rule-Based Reasoning

Note: This last rule will apply to birds not in the air if there is other evidence to believe it is a member of the Buteo family. (B.G.B.)

Search

I bet that I can find a description somewhere in this book that fits that bird I saw last week.

Heuristic Search

Hmm, I saw this bird when I was on my beach vacation. It was walking along the beach, searching for clams and worms. I will try to identify it, it is probably best if I look in the "Shorebird" section of my Peterson's for small birds. (S.B.)

Uncertainty/Probability Reasoning

Given the fleeting glimpse that I got of the bird as it flew by, it was most likely a tufted puffin, but it could have been a . . .

"This morning, I saw a red finch at my birdfeeder, it could be a House Finch or a Purple Finch. Given that Purple Finches are relatively rare at birdfeeders, odds are that this was House Finch." (S.B.)

"This morning, I saw a bird of prey on my way to work, but couldn't identify it because I didn't have my binoculars with me. Given that this was where I have often seen Red-Tailed Hawks, odds are that the bird was a Red-Tailed Hawk." (Another real life example from S.B.)

Please let us know if you have any ideas for new entries and/or comments.

Related Pages

• Reasoning
• Reasoning Subtopics