From making tools to taking revenge, crows can do some incredible feats.
The superior intelligence and adaptability of opics is definitely worth boasting about.
The crow family is home to more than 120 species of birds. And, like most geniuses, crows and their relatives tend to be misunderstood.
Known as the corvid family, this bird includes not only crows, but also ravens, white-billed jays, jays, jackdaws, magpies, tree finches, walnut jays, and chewing jays. They include the 1-ounce dwarf jay, a small forest bird found only in Mexico, and the 3-pound common crow, a cunning opportunist found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
Corvids are very intelligent overall, with the largest brain-to-body ratio of any bird, but corvids tend to be particularly intelligent. This genus includes crows, ravens, white-billed jays, and jackdaws, making up about one-third of all corvid species. The brain-to-body ratio (or "brain quotient") of many of these animals is that of great apes rather than birds. In fact, according to a study published in the journal Current Biology, "crows' brains are the same relative size as chimpanzees' brains." ”
Humans recognized the cunning of crows and ravens early on, and centuries of folklore have shaped them as thieves, liars, problem solvers, wise advisors to God, and even God Himself. However, we also tend to stereotype these birds, ignoring their many complexities, labeling them as ghostly, troublesome, or downright evil. Fortunately, our evaluation of opium intelligence has skyrocketed in recent years, thanks to the exploration of opium intelligence. Here's what we know about the crow's psychological and social life, focusing primarily on crows, but also ravens and other relatives:
1. Crows have savvy ways to get food
Crows are known for quickly adapting to new environments and food sources.
Crows tend to be opportunistic and creative, often developing new food sources or adopting new feeding strategies to make their lives easier. American crows have been known to catch fish on their own, for example, and in some cases even lure the fish closer together with bread or other food as bait.
At the same time, the species often steals food from other animals, sometimes even stalking victims back to their nests or food banks. In one case, a flock of American crows distracted a river otter in order to steal its fish, while another group of crows tracked common merganser ducks, intercepting minnows chasing by ducks in shallow water.
Many crows also throw snails and hard-shelled nuts from the air while flying, using gravity and the ground to do hard work for them. Other birds do the same, but some crows seem to go further in this regard. For example, crows in Japan would put walnuts on the road so that cars would crush the shells and wait for the traffic light to turn green so they could safely collect the opened walnuts.
2. Crows don't just use tools; They also make themselves
An American crow explores the coast of Bomboutage Island, Nova Scotia
In the early 60s of the 20th century, primatologist Jen Goodall shocked the world with the discovery that wild chimpanzees used branches as tools to catch termites, overturning the idea that humans were the only species that could use tools. Tool use does require a degree of sophistication, but we now know that many other animals use tools in the wild, not just our primates. In fact, one of the most studied examples of non-primate use of tools comes from the corvid family: the New Caledonian crow.
Many opies use tools, but the New Caledonian crow is particularly advanced. Like chimpanzees, they use sticks or other plants to fish insects out of cracks. This alone is impressive, especially without hands, but it's just one of the many tricks they hide up their sleeves. In addition to choosing naturally well-shaped tools for specific tasks, New Caledonian crows also make tools in the wild, which is much rarer than just using found objects. From pruning leaves on branches, to making their own hook-like tools out of branches, leaves, and thorns.
In controlled experiments, New Caledonian crows were also able to bend flexible materials into hook-like tools, and even spontaneously "use meta-tools"—the ability of one tool to use another. In a study, the researchers noted that great apes like chimpanzees and orangutans can solve meta-tool tasks, but even monkeys struggle to solve these tasks. For example, these crows used a short stick to reach a long stick that could reach a reward, but also made new composite tools with two or more non-functional elements. This requires imagining what the tool will do before it comes along – although no such tool has ever been seen before – and then making it exist and using it.
3. Crows can solve puzzles just like human children
A crow drinks water from a water dispenser at the Alipo Zoo in Kolkata, India.
In Aesop's fable The Crow and the Jug, a thirsty crow encounters a jug with a small amount of water, but is initially stopped due to the low water level and narrow mouth of the bottle. The crow then starts throwing pebbles into the jug, eventually raising the water level enough for it to drink.
The study not only confirmed that crows can do this, but also showed that they could pass a water-flooding test similar to that of human children aged 5 to 7. The crow also conquered various other complex tests. Crows can also plan their tool use, according to a study in the journal Current Biology, which found that crows can solve meta-tool problems without each step seeing the others, planning ahead for three future behaviors. The birds demonstrated an ability to "psychologically represent goals and sub-goals of the meta-instrumental problem," the researchers wrote, and even succeeded in ignoring additional tools placed in their paths to distract them.
4. The crow holds a funeral for the deceased
The Ravens explore on the tombstone of London's Brompton Cemetery
Crows are famous for holding "funerals" after the death of their kind. It could be a lone individual or a flock of crows. It may be solemn silence or a harsh sound. In some cases, crows may keep vigil for dropped birds for several days on end. Are they really mourning?
Scientifically speaking, testing this possibility is still problematic because we still don't really know what's going on on the emotional level in an animal's brain.
Perhaps the crows are looking for the source of the danger, remembering the key elements of the experience that will help them stay safe in the future.
5. The crow gossip, takes revenge, and knows who you are
Urban crows are often keen observers of human activity.
Several species of opium have proven their knack for recognizing faces. Magpies and ravens, for example, are both known for scolding specific researchers who used to get too close to their nests, regardless of what the researchers were wearing. Some of the best evidence for this ability comes from crows in Washington state, where researchers have extensively tested birds' responses to faces they have learned to distrust.
John Mazlouf, a wildlife science professor at the University of Washington who led the test, realized that the crows seemed to hold grudges against people who had used nets and tied them for research. While doing this, the researchers began wearing a rubber caveman mask, which revealed how the crows identify enemies. The crow scolds and besieges anyone wearing the mask of the cave man at the top of the mountain, no matter who is below. In later tests, the researchers achieved a similar effect by wearing a mask and holding a dead crow (specimen), with the result that the crow pestered future people wearing the same mask. Interestingly, none of the factors other than the face matter.
When testing crows wearing masks, the researchers also carried signs explaining what they were doing to curious (or nervous) human onlookers.
Many other animals are also able to recognize faces, but crows are still different because of the length of their memories and the way information is shared between them. Years after the study began, crows continued to rattle on ribbon masks, although they were only seen twice a year for only a few hours at a time. But this hostility doesn't just come from crows who saw the initial bondage event. Over time, the percentage of birds that rebuke and besiege caveman masks has increased, roughly doubling in seven years, although most birds have never been tied up and are unlikely to witness the masked person do anything that offends them. Some are even baby crows that have not yet been born. The crows are apparently sending an important message to their families and companions – the identity of a seemingly dangerous person.
Learning to recognize humans can be a valuable skill for urban crows, as some of us are dangerous, some are neutral, and some are beneficial. Wild crows, who seem indifferent to the faces of those who have not wronged them, can also develop positive relationships with us – like a girl in Seattle who received a bunch of trinkets from the crows she had been feeding.
6. Crows have dialects
You're familiar with the "croaking" sounds of crows, but did you know that their sounds also have dialects? Similar to the language of humans, which varies from region to region, crows also have deviations in aviation language between two crow populations. These sounds vary from region to region, just as human dialects vary from valley to valley.
If the crow changes its group, it adjusts its voice to adapt to the new group. When crows join a new group, they learn the dialect of the group by imitating the calls of the dominant members of the group.
7. Crows mate for life, but they are also "monogamous"
Silverdale, Washington, a pair of mating crows perched in a tree in a backyard.
Crows are not only social birds, but also more family-oriented than many think. They stay together for life, which means that a couple usually spend the rest of their lives together, but their family life can be a little more complicated than thought. Crows are "monogamous", they are considered "socially monogamous, but genetically promiscuous". This means that they usually live with only one mate, but genetic analysis suggests that male crows only become fathers to 80% of the family's offspring.
Some crows also live a "double life," splitting their time between home and large public habitats. For example, the American crow maintains a territory throughout the year, and the whole extended family lives and feeds together. But for most of the year, individual crows leave their homes to join large flocks of garbage dumps and farmland, and sleep in large habitats in the winter. A crow might spend time in the city with its family and spend the rest of the time eating tattered grain in the countryside with a flock of crows.
8. Young crows may stay at home for a while, acting as "helpers"
Young crows, like this one in Montreal, may stay at home for a few years to help their parents raise their younger siblings.
American crows begin nesting in early spring, using branches and lining them with soft materials such as grass, fur or feathers. (They also build bait nests if they think someone suspicious is spying on them.) Young crows will still be dependent on their parents in the months after their wings are full, but they also tend to stay near their families for longer, even after leaving the nest. These chicks remain strongly protected by their parents, which creates an extended puberty that gives them time and energy for playful behaviors that may be important for their development and cultural learning.
Young crows will eventually begin to spend less time with their parents and more with larger colonies, and with the onset of autumn and winter, they will face a decision. They will either 'float' before finding a mate and establish their own territory, or they will stay on their own turf and act as 'helpers' for next year's children. The latter is called cooperative breeding, in which more than two individuals help care for a litter of offspring.
According to Cornell Labs, in most U.S. crow populations, older offspring continue to help parents raise new chicks for several years. A crow family may include up to 15 individuals, with offspring from 5 different years all helping. It's unclear why it evolved like this.
9. Ravens are smart, but not invincible
A flock of American crows flew to their habitat near Dawson Creek, British Columbia.
It is common for people to denigrate crows, often focusing on unwelcome behaviors but ignoring more relevant or desirable qualities. For example, the American crow has been the object of extinction in the past, including the use of dynamite on large habitats in winter. However, these efforts ultimately failed, and thanks to its intelligence and adaptability, the American crow is now more common than ever, in a range of habitats, including farms, towns and large cities.
Other opies have similarly adapted to and even exploited civilization, but being smart does not guarantee that these birds will not be harmed by us. For example, the Hawaiian crow is an intelligent corvid that loves to use tools, but it was declared extinct in the wild in 2002 due to disease, invasive predators, habitat loss, and human persecution. Fortunately, scientists saved enough birds to start a successful captive breeding program and reintroduce the species into the wild.
Crows sometimes attack farms and gardens, but any damage they cause may be offset by ecological benefits such as disseminating seeds and eating pests. Moreover, while any species has an inherent right to live, we are especially fortunate to have intelligent people like opies living among us. They can help us learn more about our intelligence, but they also remind us how much more we have in common with the wildlife around us.