Image via Alexas Fotos/ Pexels.
Crows get a bad rap. Many cultures associate them with death, bad omens and ghost stories. It probably doesn’t help that a group of crows is called a murder of crows. But crows are one of the most intelligent animals in the world. In addition, they are sociable birds that create their own gangs, show empathy, and love to have fun. Just like us!
Crows are extremely smart
There are 120 species of crows. They are one of the most intelligent birds, and also one of the smartest animals, in the world.
Crows are capable of creating tools from scratch and using them. And not only that, but they observe other crows and memorize their designs and then modify them. In this way, over time, they are able to improve the quality of their tools. Likewise, crows are cultural animals and transmit their knowledge to the next generation.
For example, people have observed crows making a kind of elongated hook with parts torn from plants. Thanks to this tool, they can extract larvae and other food that is otherwise inaccessible inside pieces of wood.
And this situation applies to more than just their natural and known environment. These are animals that have an impressive ability to adapt to different situations, even in our modern world. Crows throw nuts on the road so cars can run over and crack them. This undoubtedly demonstrates their ability to find solutions.
Experiments with crows
Obviously, this intelligence has caught the attention of scientists around the world. That’s why they’ve been tested through countless experiments.
In one of them, the researchers trained eight crows to put pieces of paper of different sizes into a vending machine that rewarded them based on the dimensions of the paper they placed in it. The crows only achieved their reward with paper of a particular size.
Once the crows recognized what size earned them a reward, they dedicated themselves to introducing only that size. And when they only had large pieces left, they began to tear them until they obtained the size they needed. This shows they can design and use tools from scratch to cut paper. In addition, they create mental schemes, have memory and can solve problems in an impressive way.
Experiments conducted by crows
Crows are sociable
Once they leave the nest, crows create groups with members of their own age to hang out, kind of like teenagers with their gangs. Plus, they love to have fun together. For example, people have seen crows sliding through snow on a roof over and over again just for fun. They also enjoy swinging or playing with humans and other animals.
Their fun and games demonstrate a degree of intelligence that we see in only a few animals in the world. Crows also recognize each other and themselves in mirrors. Thus, they are aware of their existence.
In addition, these birds have a great sense of community, since they also attend funerals to say goodbye to their dead. When one of the members of these gangs or groups dies, the entire group approaches the area and rests there for hours, fluttering and making loud sounds, like a sad moan.
The communication of crows
Crows have a highly developed language with which they emit numerous sounds. In this way, they can alert their companions when there is a threat, ask for something or simply show different emotions such as joy, tenderness, anger and surprise.
Likewise, they can imitate interesting sounds such as the howl of wolves, the barking of a dog or even human words.
And if this doesn’t seem enough to you, these fascinating creatures make gestures just like us. Crows are able to point out directions with their beak to allude to a particular fact. They also make a series of movements with their heads or beaks to communicate.
Crows collaborate with other animals
It seems that our feathered friends have a special friendship with wolves. Crows are really good at finding animal carcasses from the air, but they often find it difficult to open them with their beaks. So they start making noises to alert wolves about the prey they have discovered. Then the wolves use their jaws to make the food more accessible to the crows. Crows also sometimes make noises and circle over weak and sick animals to alert wolves of easy prey to kill.
And they also have something going on with the ants, although in this case it is not a collaboration. The crows launch themselves onto anthills, bite the ants to pieces and scatter their remains on their wings and legs. Why? It’s not clear. Some scientists think they use fluids present in the ants’ bodies as an insecticide and fungicide. If so, this is another example of their intelligence. These ant baths are known as “anting”.
One of the similarities with humans is that crows are omnivores. They feed on meat (especially carrion), reptiles, rodents, insects, fruits and cereals. Plus, they’ve been around a long time. Scientists think they appeared 17 million years ago in Central Asia and then spread to the rest of the world, except Antarctica. Crows live 10 to 15 years, but some have lived up to 40 years.
Never fool a crow
It is true that crows show empathy and develop strong bonds between themselves and with other animals. They support each other and learn from mistakes together. But they never forget their enemies …
Crows do not tolerate cheaters. In an experiment in Sweden, one researcher gave a group of crows a piece of bread they could exchange with a second researcher for a larger piece of cheese. However, they decided to include a third person who, instead of handing them the cheese, put the piece in his mouth. After a couple of days, the birds chose to trade with the researcher who did not eat cheese. Even after a month had passed, the birds still did not trust the traitor.
Furthermore, when a crow dies, the others gather around the corpse, as if they were trying to learn about the causes of death. If there are humans wandering near their deceased companions, they consider them a threat.
And if a person has disturbed a crow and he comes back, a horde of birds will confront him. Crows recognize you and tell their friends about the incidents they have suffered, and then they tell their friends, too. Surely you don’t want to face a murder of crows.
But if what you want is a loyal friend to defend you, then look for a crow. These birds comfort victims after an act of aggression. This includes touching beaks or bodies, perching near the victim and grooming. Thus, crows are able to show empathy, understand the situation and then adjust their behavior toward the victim.
What is a crow’s brain like?
If they are so intelligent, what does their brain look like? Well, they have a brain the size of a walnut, but in relation to their bodies, it’s really big (especially the front part, in charge of higher-order thinking).
One study suggests crows are so intelligent because of their high neuronal density and brain structure. Thus, crows solve complex problems, make and use tools, have great memory, communicate and learn from each other and may even have their own cultures. Amazing!
Bottom line: Crows are some of the most intelligent animals in the world. They are also sociable birds that create their own gangs, show empathy and love to have fun. Just like us!
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