The Intelligence Of Crows
Belonging to the order of the passerines, this great black bird has been known to earn, over time, ratings of all kinds. The truth is that more and more scientific studies are dedicated to verifying their ability to reason. Today we tell you, then, about the intelligence of crows.
Meet these clever birds
Protagonists of horror stories, inseparable companions of witches or synonymous with both bad and good luck, these birds are being the subject of more and more research that proves what the attentive human always knew: they are extremely intelligent.
The largest of the passerines – measuring between 54 and 67 centimeters – is an animal that knows how to adapt to circumstances. In addition, everything seems to indicate that he realizes many things without the need for trial and error.
And, for what he needs to know, he always finds the way – even unexpected – to solve it. It is even capable of circumventing the devices that scientists create to test how cunning it is.
Birds with high neuronal density
As if that were not enough, these birds give up on the idea that the size of the brain is in line with intelligence. Although its brain mass is the largest of its order, its reasoning capacity is considered superior to that of primates or that of an eight-year-old child.
And it is that, in reality, at least in the case of these winged beings, the size is not the important thing. Yes it is the neuronal density.
In the book Ravens: Encounters with the Know-It-Alls of the Aviary World , which the writer Candace Savage published in 2005, it is suggested that these animals share characteristics with humans that speak to their intelligence. Among them, the use of tools and sophisticated social behavior.
This is how the intelligence of crows is demonstrated
Distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, these birds use their legs and their long, thick and robust beaks to execute what their brains elucidate.
So they create and use tools regularly and in complex sequences, something that was only attributed to people. And, for example, they are capable of transforming a straight piece into a hook to extract food from certain containers.
In an investigation published in the journal Nature , the zoologist Alex Kacelnik pointed out that the crows of New Caledonia (Oceania) are born with this knowledge. This means that they have a genetic component that explains their way of acting.
For Kacelnik, these birds possess a high level of logical thinking, advance planning and creativity that, as a general rule, is only associated with humans.
The crows, those winged manipulators
In social interactions, the intelligence of crows manifests itself in the capacity for manipulation. In a study carried out by the biologist Bernd Heinrichel (University of Vermont), it was established that adult and juvenile specimens use different strategies to feed on carrion.
It was also observed that crows make other animals work for them. It is common for wolves and coyotes to be called to the place where there is carrion, and it is that, after the action of the jaws of the carnivores, they access food more easily.
In addition, it was established that they observe where other crows hide their food and, thanks to their excellent memory, they remember the data and then steal it. And in some cases it has been seen how they leave nuts on the roads so that the passage of cars breaks the shells.
More details about these wonderful birds
Another interesting fact is the ability of these birds to play. It is common to see young specimens sliding through the snow for the apparent mere fact of having fun. They also play with other species of animals.
Likewise, the custom of ‘stealing’ some shiny objects is known. This curiosity towards the new is often lost as they become adults.
At this point, it remains to say that these intelligent animals just need to talk. Well, some do too, although they only imitate a few human sounds. But given his intelligence, everything seems to indicate that the last word has not been said on this issue. We will keep you update.
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