Crows, ravens smarter than you think
They can identify people, problem solve, plan ahead
The more man studies wild animals the more he is amazed by their intelligence. For years scientists have contended that wild animals couldn't reason and lived by their inherited ability, however studies conducted during the past 20 years have revealed many animals have the ability to reason and the smartest of all the animals are certain breeds of birds.
The raven and crow are considered to be the smartest of all wild birds. Lake County has a large population of both ravens and crows and they are very similar in appearance. The crow is smaller than the raven and when in flight its tail feathers are all the same length. The tail feathers of a raven are longer in the middle. Crows make a caw sound and ravens make a croak. Ravens tend to stay in small groups of two or three whereas crows are in larger flocks. Both ravens and crows eat just about anything. Their food sources range from carrion, live mice and other small animals to seeds and vegetation. Most ravens and crows live only about seven years. The oldest recorded raven in history lived 29 years.
A study done a few years ago showed that both ravens and crows can recognize people by their faces. In other words, they can pick a certain individual out of a crowd. They can also be taught to say words. A woman who lives in Kelseyville told me she befriended a raven and it stayed on her deck for years. She taught the bird to say her name. When she would walk out on the deck in the morning the raven would say her name perfectly. Ravens often perform aerobatics, including sudden rolls, wingtucked dives, and they play with objects by dropping and catching them in midair. Ravens also work in pairs to solve problems.
We all know how crows and ravens will take a walnut and fly over a road and drop it so that the shell shatters on impact. The bird then lands and eats the nut. Scientists also have discovered that ravens and crows will hover above a roadway waiting for a car to pass. They fly ahead of the vehicle and drop the walnut so that the car breaks open the nut. The bird then feasts on the meat of the nut.
Scientists have discovered that crows and ravens have special brains that allow them to reason and solve problems. Ravens have been known to remove garbage can covers so they can get food. Ravens also mate for life. There have been cases when one of the pair dies the survivor often dies of loneliness a few weeks later. Scientific studies have shown that a raven has the intelligence of a 4-year-old human. Scientists have long believed that only humans could plan for retirement or plan for a meal. The raven has proved them wrong.
Scientists also have found that ravens can plan for the future. In controlled studies, ravens were taught how to open boxes to obtain food. The boxes were taken away for three days. When placed in front of the ravens again they easily opened the boxes to get their food, using the method they were previously taught. In fact, they were successful more than 90 percent of the time. In another experiment, the ravens were taught how to exchange tokens for food. The birds passed the test with flying colors.
Ravens are protected and cannot be hunted. On the other hand, crows can be hunted in California. The hunting season runs from Dec. 1 through April 4 and the daily limit is 24.
The recent findings on the intelligence of crows and ravens once again shows that there is a lot we don't know about our fellow birds and other wildlife. The deer that is watching you may be just be sizing you up and knows more about you than you realize.