5 ms·

There are several other intelligent and adaptable corvid species that would be a lot harder for man to wipe out: carrion crows, hooded crows, rooks, and jackdaw

There are several other intelligent and adaptable corvid species that would be a lot harder for man to wipe out: carrion crows, hooded crows, rooks, and jackdaws all thrive near human societies.

stirfrykitty 7y ago
I've had an interest in crows and ravens for years. Most corvid researchers agree that ravens top the list in intelligence due to their larger brains. Crows tend to squabble over resources whilst ravens tend to be loners (mating pairs hang out for life). Magpies are also very high on the intelligence scale, as they are also corvids. Ravens have shown extreme intelligence in solving issues on how to open containers, defeat barriers to a food source (greenhouses), windows, etc. Ravens have been observed "timing" windows opening/closing to source food behind glass. Ravens make toys from pine cones, bottle caps, twigs, and play with them with other ravens. They also use ant piles to roll around in, allowing the formic acid from the ants to cover them, giving them a barrier to mites and other bad hosts (called "anting").
- tialaramex 7y ago
  Two things I like that corvids do, demonstrating intelligence but most importantly demonstrating _our_ type of intelligence rather than the more alien intelligence of something like an octopus: 1. Messing about, e.g. young bird finds an object which slides on an ice-covered roof. Hops on, rides the object down, and then crucially, it picks the object up and flies to the top to do it again. What for? Not for anything, this is clearly fun to do. 2. Tormenting small dogs. Small "yappy" dogs are awful. I'd feel bad about tormenting one though. But crows don't feel bad, good for them. Dogs are often left on a lead tied to something, the lead has a specific length and a crow can see that this limits the dog's reach, so it will taunt the dog or even attack it, then fly just barely out of reach, knowing the lead will restrain the dog to its further annoyance.
  - maxxxxx 7y ago
    I watched a bunch of crows surrounding a swan. Whenever the swan went after one of them, another crow would pick the swan in the butt. Swan would turn around and another crow would pick at the swan from behind. This went on for a few minutes and then the crowd left. My only explanation was that they enjoyed messing with the swan for fun.
    - erdewit 7y ago
      I watched a similar scene, but with magpies escorting the local cat out of the park. One magpie walking right behind the cat, pecking at the tail, and some others running interference in front of it. The cat made no attempt to catch the birds and instead tried to keep up the pretense of leaving on his own accord.
    - jelliclesfarm 7y ago
      Swans are mean! They likely see the swan as vulnerable(can’t fly) but also strong(they hiss and have powerful neck muscles and honestly..it’s scary to be near a swan upclose..they have Darth Vader breath). Crows really like to challenge those that are bigger and stronger than they are..swans, raptors(altho they likely go after raptors because as scavengers, they pick up the leftovers of raptor’s kill/food). They like to protect smaller birds and those that are vulnerable. They likely see cats as predators even though cats hunt smaller birds.
      - maxxxxx 7y ago
        "Swans are mean! " Agreed! When I was a kid we used to go swimming at a lake and there was a one-legged swan that terrorized the whole lake every summer. The other swans were bad too but this one was especially mean.
      - kwhitefoot 7y ago
        Can't fly?
        jelliclesfarm 7y ago

There are several other intelligent and adaptable corvid species that would be a lot harder for man to wipe out: carrion crows, hooded crows, rooks, and jackdaws all thrive near human societies.

stirfrykitty 7y ago

I've had an interest in crows and ravens for years. Most corvid researchers agree that ravens top the list in intelligence due to their larger brains. Crows tend to squabble over resources whilst ravens tend to be loners (mating pairs hang out for life). Magpies are also very high on the intelligence scale, as they are also corvids. Ravens have shown extreme intelligence in solving issues on how to open containers, defeat barriers to a food source (greenhouses), windows, etc. Ravens have been observed "timing" windows opening/closing to source food behind glass. Ravens make toys from pine cones, bottle caps, twigs, and play with them with other ravens. They also use ant piles to roll around in, allowing the formic acid from the ants to cover them, giving them a barrier to mites and other bad hosts (called "anting").

tialaramex 7y ago
Two things I like that corvids do, demonstrating intelligence but most importantly demonstrating _our_ type of intelligence rather than the more alien intelligence of something like an octopus: 1. Messing about, e.g. young bird finds an object which slides on an ice-covered roof. Hops on, rides the object down, and then crucially, it picks the object up and flies to the top to do it again. What for? Not for anything, this is clearly fun to do. 2. Tormenting small dogs. Small "yappy" dogs are awful. I'd feel bad about tormenting one though. But crows don't feel bad, good for them. Dogs are often left on a lead tied to something, the lead has a specific length and a crow can see that this limits the dog's reach, so it will taunt the dog or even attack it, then fly just barely out of reach, knowing the lead will restrain the dog to its further annoyance.
- maxxxxx 7y ago
  I watched a bunch of crows surrounding a swan. Whenever the swan went after one of them, another crow would pick the swan in the butt. Swan would turn around and another crow would pick at the swan from behind. This went on for a few minutes and then the crowd left. My only explanation was that they enjoyed messing with the swan for fun.
  - erdewit 7y ago
    I watched a similar scene, but with magpies escorting the local cat out of the park. One magpie walking right behind the cat, pecking at the tail, and some others running interference in front of it. The cat made no attempt to catch the birds and instead tried to keep up the pretense of leaving on his own accord.
  - jelliclesfarm 7y ago
    Swans are mean! They likely see the swan as vulnerable(can’t fly) but also strong(they hiss and have powerful neck muscles and honestly..it’s scary to be near a swan upclose..they have Darth Vader breath). Crows really like to challenge those that are bigger and stronger than they are..swans, raptors(altho they likely go after raptors because as scavengers, they pick up the leftovers of raptor’s kill/food). They like to protect smaller birds and those that are vulnerable. They likely see cats as predators even though cats hunt smaller birds.
    - maxxxxx 7y ago
      "Swans are mean! " Agreed! When I was a kid we used to go swimming at a lake and there was a one-legged swan that terrorized the whole lake every summer. The other swans were bad too but this one was especially mean.
    - kwhitefoot 7y ago
      Can't fly?
      - jelliclesfarm 7y ago