Crows: The Unexpected Intelligence of Our Feathered Friends
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Chapter 1: Understanding Crows
Recently, while reminiscing with a childhood friend, she shared an endearing tale about her father's friendship with a crow. During her holiday visit, she noticed him often gazing into the yard. When she inquired about it, he would simply respond, “Just greeting my crow companion.” This charming story piqued my interest in crows, especially since they seem to dominate the trees near my home, frequently cawing as if they own the space.
Crows often carry a negative reputation associated with death, attributed to their eerie calls and striking black feathers, which likely shaped my earlier perceptions. However, moving beyond these superstitions reveals a fascinating truth: crows are remarkably intelligent, more so than I had initially believed. Perhaps the crows in my vicinity aren’t scolding me after all; they might just be saying hello.
Well-Known Insights About Crows
Crows are part of the Corvidae family, which includes other avian species like ravens, jays, and magpies. Known for their intelligence, these birds thrive in diverse environments such as urban areas, forests, deserts, moors, cliffs, mountains, and tundras, allowing them to inhabit every continent except Antarctica. Among them, crows and ravens stand out for their superior intelligence, social structures, and variety.
You may have heard warnings about being unkind to crows because they have excellent memories, hold grudges, and may even seek revenge. This isn’t mere folklore; it’s quite accurate. Many individuals, like my friend’s father, have formed bonds with these birds. An article from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) highlighted this trend, especially on platforms like TikTok.
The social structures among crows are intricate and extensive, allowing them to engage in social learning. For instance, a crow can alert others to a specific predator, and this warning can spread to other crows within a mile. This ability implies that crows can communicate detailed information about threats, which is extraordinary!
Crows are also famous for their innovative tool usage, such as dropping nuts to crack them open. Research has shown that crows adjust the height from which they drop these nuts to minimize the chances of theft by other animals while maximizing their energy intake from each nut. This indicates a level of understanding of physics.
Furthermore, crows are capable of crafting their own tools. They don’t just use nearby objects; they can create simple tools using “mental templates.” Researchers found that crows don’t merely imitate tool-making; they learn and innovate based on previous designs, suggesting a potential “tool-making culture” that evolves over time.
If crows are indeed intelligent and possess such advanced social capabilities, one might wonder about their self-awareness. A 2020 study suggests they are! Researchers indicated that crows can reflect on their own thoughts while solving problems.
The Crow's Brain Explained
Scientists are keen to explore the reasons behind the remarkable intelligence of crows, leading them to focus on their brain structure. A crow’s brain is roughly the size of a human thumb, constituting about 2% of its body weight, which is substantial for its size. This larger brain mass is characteristic of highly intelligent species, including great apes and dolphins.
Crows possess approximately 1.5 billion neurons, comparable to certain monkey species, and these neurons are densely packed, enhancing communication. Experts propose that the intelligence of crows parallels that of great apes.
In addition to their neuron count, crows have unusually large forebrains, yet they lack the neocortex found in mammals, associated with higher intelligence. However, researchers discovered connectivity patterns in crows’ brains that resemble those of the neocortex, potentially elucidating their cognitive abilities and intricate social interactions.
Another intriguing aspect of crows, and corvids in general, is their prolonged dependence on family. Studies show these birds spend more time in the nest, live longer in family units, and invest more days in nurturing their young than many other bird species.
A Shift in Perspective
When pondering intelligent life, our thoughts often drift to extraterrestrial beings. However, as scientific inquiry deepens, we are uncovering intelligence right here on Earth. Many of these brilliant animals are not easily accessible for study, unlike crows, which are ubiquitous globally and have adapted to our urban environments.
Dr. Jeroen Smaers, a co-author of a study connecting the evolution of crow brains to that of the Tyrannosaurus, aptly noted, “crows are the hominins of the bird kingdom.” So why not engage with them or at least show them some respect? Personally, I feel compelled to connect with the crows residing in the trees around me.
This article was originally featured in the author’s free newsletter, Curious Adventure, and has been republished on Medium with permission.
The first video titled "Crows, smarter than you think | John Marzluff | TEDxRainier" explores the remarkable intelligence of crows and how they compare to human cognitive abilities.
The second video, "Are Crows Smarter Than Your Seven-Year-Old?" dives into the cognitive skills of crows, challenging our perceptions of intelligence in animals.