Crows are very smart but can not count. When two hunters go into a blind, the crows will stay away. But if one hunter then leaves the blind and goes out of sight, the crows will all return.
CPR
Loc: Nature Coast of Florida
Crows often work as a team. Even in a suburban area you can see them patrol and react if a hawk comes anywhere near. Fun to watch.
Man tends to view everything through their own 'lens'.
We need to use tools ...because on our own...we cannot survive. We are poorly adapted to our planet.
So the real question is...do birds need to know all they really need to...yes.
All animals do...we are the exception.
Of course, the easiest way to win a 'beauty contest' is to be the judge and contestant at the same time.
joecichjr
Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA
Shooter41 wrote:
Having purchased special suet feeders that only have access from the bottom and require small birds to hang upside down to feed, I was shocked when I watched a Starling solve the problem very quickly, (He was too big and heavy to hang upside down, so he worked his way up a limb and stood on his "tippy toes" to reach the suet and eat his fill.) Then he began squawking and calling in all of his buddies so they could do the same. Would a bird specialist please let me know if Starlings have ever been tested for intelligence against crows and what the results were? Muchas Gracias!
Having purchased special suet feeders that only h... (
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I think there are a lot of creatures of every species out there that are a lot smarter than we would ever think
A researcher in Boston determined that crows were hit by pickup trucks more often than by cars. Checking out the reason for this discrepancy, he noticed that while feasting on roadkill, one crow was always on the lookout for oncoming traffic.
Checking further, he found that the crows had trouble calling out a warning for approaching trucks, but not automobiles - always warning: CAW, CAW......
Shooter41 wrote:
Having purchased special suet feeders that only have access from the bottom and require small birds to hang upside down to feed, I was shocked when I watched a Starling solve the problem very quickly, (He was too big and heavy to hang upside down, so he worked his way up a limb and stood on his "tippy toes" to reach the suet and eat his fill.) Then he began squawking and calling in all of his buddies so they could do the same. Would a bird specialist please let me know if Starlings have ever been tested for intelligence against crows and what the results were? Muchas Gracias!
Having purchased special suet feeders that only h... (
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No scientific research here, but the crows in my former neighborhood soaked dog food in the dog water in order to facilitate their eating it and also moved pecans to the roadway to then eat the insides of the pecans hit by cars.
joer
Loc: Colorado/Illinois
stanikon wrote:
I have been told by a bird rescuer and expert that birds in general are stupid, but she considers crows to be the smartest of all birds.
I doubt that bird intelligence studies have been conducted on many bird species.
I have been watching birds at my feeders for nearly 25 years and without a doubt some birds appear to be smarter than others. I believe all animals are smarter than we generally give them credit.
I read about a dog that researchers studied and trained and eventually the dog could understand and respond to over 200 human voice commands. Now that is and intelligent animal.
They didn't mention how many dog voice commands the researchers learned.
joer
Loc: Colorado/Illinois
Tex-s wrote:
No scientific research here, but the crows in my former neighborhood soaked dog food in the dog water in order to facilitate their eating it and also moved pecans to the roadway to then eat the insides of the pecans hit by cars.
Grackles routinely wash food before eating it. Other birds at times do this as well.
robertjerl wrote:
My crows and Ravens put peanuts in the water dish to soften the shells, then leave the shells in the water😒.
I wonder what kind of bribe it would take to teach them to clean the water dishes?
You have crows and ravens ? Could you email me please please @ Djbunn11@gmail.com I could actually use some advice if possible
In college, some friends and I went to the Grand Canyon and arrived just before sunrise. We watched a group of ravens ride thermals up from below the rim, then when reaching the top, would half barrel roll then drop down to repeat. We watched and laughed until crowds of tourists came to view the canyon.
[quote=Shooter41]Having purchased special suet feeders that only have access from the bottom and require small birds to hang upside down to feed
I have similar suet feeders and instead of trying to hang on, upside down, the bluejays in my yard just fly up from the ground, knock of some bits of suet which fall down and then they just pick up what they want from the ground. They don't even try to hang on to the feeders.
A really amazing book about bird intelligence is "Alex and Me" by Dr. Irene Pepperburg. She got a young African Gray Parrot and used it as a base for her Phd research. This bird had amazing intelligence. It could count, distinguish colors, talk - converse - in organized sentences, make up new words from past experience to identify new objects.
stanikon wrote:
I have been told by a bird rescuer and expert that birds in general are stupid, but she considers crows to be the smartest of all birds.
Several years ago there were outbreaks in Canada and Australia of crows flying down and thumping people on the heads.
It was revealed in an article on the situation that crows can remember people's faces...and teach their friends to remember your face, and apparently that you are worthy of a head thump.
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