Crows have been given a mysterious color in mythology since ancient times, and this bird has been depicted as a companion of witches and magicians. Also often in fairy tales and legends, the crow is depicted as a very intelligent bird. Is this true?
Why are crows considered the smartest birds on earth, and — the most intelligent animals?
What is the wisdom of the crow?
Black and grey intelligent animals
Grey crows and black crows belong to the same family, the crow family, but they are different birds. Crows generally have a higher level of intelligence compared to other birds. But the black crow is smarter than the gray crow. Among the crows, the New Caledonian crows, which live on the Pacific islands, are considered champions of wisdom.
What are these birds thinking?
Prioritize
Scientists have been studying crows for years and are constantly noticing the peculiarities of their intelligence. One of the characteristics of crow thinking is the ability to prioritize.
There's a famous marshmallow test – one is now getting a smaller result. The second is to achieve more results by patiently waiting?
Many children and even adults did not pass the experiment. Most people prefer to eat a marshmallow first, but don't get any more benefits.
Crows can be prioritized. If he already knew he was going to get more later, he would wait.
They use tools.
Give me a lever that I can pry the earth
The love of tools and the ability to use improvisation helped the crow solve many problems.
Scientists have observed how Caledonian crows make fish hooks.
With the help of branches, they lure snails and larvae from narrow cracks.
The crow opens the box with a lever through the weight of the body, can open the lid of the jar that is screwed on, open the trash can that is closed, and so on. In New Caledonia, residents are often afflicted by clever and cunning crows who find ways to get into closed bins and food in search of food.
Through intelligence tests, the crow was able to untie the rope and place objects of the same shape as the hole into the hole.
According to these tests, the intelligence of crows is comparable to that of children aged 3-4 years, sometimes reaching the intelligence of children aged 5-7 years.
The scientists also noticed that crows are not as easy to imitate as monkeys, but try to reach all their goals with their own thoughts through trial and error.