Interesting facts about the intelligence of crows. Black Raven - a bird from songs

This is the most mysterious creature, it inspires conflicting feelings of horror, hatred, and at the same time respect. Modern scientists have proven that the “crow’s mind” is not inferior to the thinking of primates. But what more people They find out, the more mysterious these black birds become, and new questions arise.

A crow is no match for a crow

Few people know that these are representatives of different species, and not males and females from the same family. The raven is a larger individual, the body length is 10-15 cm longer than that of the “black” or “gray” crow.

Crow can be friends

If trouble happens to a bird, its friends will definitely come to the rescue. They will take care of their wounded friend and bring him food until the bird fully recovers.


There is another oddity in the behavior of birds: when a crow dies, its comrades hold a memorial service. Discovering the body dead bird, for fifteen minutes they fill the space with heartbreaking cries, as if on command the birds wipe out, sit on the branches and remain mournfully silent. Modern researchers cannot explain this phenomenon.

How does a crow behave at the table?

While studying the behavior of crows, researchers at the University of Vermont noticed that young and flocks behave differently when eating. Young people prefer to douse noisy company, this helps scare off enemies. Over the years, crows change tactics, try to behave as quietly as possible, prefer solitude (sometimes they can share lunch with one of their friends).

Crows are faithful spouses

Once the chick can take care of itself, it must leave the parent's nest. The crow joins the “lone crows” in this flock of relatives, the bird watches to live until it has a second half. From this moment on, the crows leave the flock to live with their partner, remaining faithful to him even after the death of their spouse. Crow can create tools.

Some representatives of this species are very inventive. For example, New Caledonian crows are known to use jagged twigs. Using this tool, birds extract tasty insects from the thick bark. This adaptation allows the crow to retain its beak, which can be damaged if the bird pecks at hard wood. It is interesting that the ability to make “digging sticks” is passed on to New Caledonian crows at the genetic level; mothers and fathers do not teach this to their children at all; as they say, “it was passed on with mother’s milk”; the chick is already born with this skill.

Crows know how to use their environment to their advantage.

In Japan, an interesting case was noted when crows in Tokyo adapted to cracking nutshells with the help of cars! Japanese crows have taken a fancy to busy streets; as soon as the traffic light turns red, the birds simply lay nuts on the road. The light turned green, the cars started moving and crushed nuts. As soon as the red light turns on, the cunning crows will quickly sneak their “prey” from under the wheels of stationary cars. Birds calmly feast on the core of nuts.

Here is another example: if a bird finds dry bread, it will not immediately eat rough food. The bird will look for a source, suitable for any puddle, and wait until the crust softens.

Crows can count

As a result of numerous experiments, scientists have discovered the ability of birds to recognize numbers; birds not only quickly master the material. As a result of the experiment, it turned out that the birds could accurately find which number was larger. The idea of ​​the experiment was that the birds had to determine which feeder they slept in more bugs. They unerringly chose the one that had more food. Even if they put one more beetle in the container. Unlike the crows, people were unable to guess which feeder had more food.

Crows love to play

City crows love games, they are not afraid of dogs and cats. In the forest, birds often play with predators; people have observed birds chasing a fox, a wolf or an otter. In winter, people often watched birds riding with ice mountain, and church domes. And crows also love team games. One of the birds holds something in its beak small object, it could be a stick, a cone or a stone. The crow takes off confidently and passes the “pass” to the other player. This continues until the toy is on the ground.

How a crow drank water from an empty jug

Scientists once again tested the crows' intelligence. The experiment was based on Aesop's fable, about a crow that was able to drink from a barely filled jug. The participants were offered two vessels (one containing water and the other a filler). There were large and small stones lying here. The crows completed the task with ease. The birds unmistakably chose the stones the right size and threw them into a container of water. Gradually the water rose to the required level so that the birds could quench their thirst. But the crows did not pay attention to the vessel with sand. The birds somehow distinguished stones that would sink to the bottom from useless light objects.

Mirror trick

Crows use mirrors to find hidden treats. And it’s easy to find “ feedback"between the mirror image and reality. According to researchers, crows have a developed analytical sense, and the ability to receive information is not inferior to primates.

Crows have visual memory

Crows not only remember their offender, they pass information on to other birds. The surprising thing is that even “children” will be hostile against those who were “scold” by their parents. For example, in America, crows attacked people who shot birds, extending a distance of 50 kilometers to punish the criminals.

It’s even strange, but large and noisy crows are the closest relatives of small, modest sparrows. All of them are representatives of the passerine order, which includes about 310 species. Bird black raven - including.

Who is the black raven

The black raven is not only a long-liver among birds, but also a very intelligent, developed representative of birds

Of all the ravens, the black raven is a bird whose image is shrouded in gloomy beliefs and omens.

Really, large bird with a body length of up to 65 cm and a black color with a blue-green tint, it inspires unaccountable fear. The whole body is densely covered with feathers. The feathers on the throat are pointed and bristling. The sharp and strong beak is also black. Not a single light spot - even his eyes are dark brown. Paws are strong, with large curved claws gray. Wedge-shaped tail. This is especially noticeable when flying. There are 10 subspecies of the black raven, which vary in size.

Crow lifestyle

Black crows live on the continents of Eurasia, North America and nearby islands. They are also found in northern Africa.

Listen to the raven's voice

Raven is a free bird of forest spaces. It rarely tries to fly up to human habitation, unlike gray crows. Prefers old coniferous forests. Like the trees of these forests, it can live up to 200 years. And like an owl, they called him wise - apparently, since he lives a lot, sees a lot and knows a lot.

The bird is nomadic; these birds fly in flocks of 10 to 40 individuals. The purpose of flights is one - search for food. Sometimes the flock size can be only 5 or 7 birds. They move up to 200 km.

The raven is classified as an omnivorous bird. The main food is carrion. A raven flies over the forest and carefully examines all the clearings and depressions. As soon as he sees a dead fish thrown out of the river or the remains of a deer that the wolf did not eat, he begins to scream loudly. So he calls all the other brothers and says that he has found food.

Crows are very loyal and faithful birds. Like swans, they mate for life

They can fly to livestock slaughter sites and eat up all the remains. Due to the nature of their food, the raven, like the wolf, is called the forest orderly.

They also eat any insects, insectivorous animals, hares, and any rodents. Voles are especially preferred. They destroy the nests of small birds, eating eggs, chicks and even the birds themselves. Eating harmful insects type chafer, bring great benefit to the forest

How do crows breed?

Crows mate at the age of two and last a lifetime. They most often have two sockets, which are used in different years. If the nest is destroyed, a new one is built next to this place from thick branches and covered with wool. Usually a new couple looks for a place to build in a spruce or aspen forest. In the south - in oak groves. Happens in February.
There can be from 4 to 7 eggs. The eggs are beautifully blue and green in color with speckles. The parents feed the chicks with their usual food. In May, the chicks fly out of the nest.

Young crows roam with the old ones until autumn.

This is interesting!

Probably because of its black color and preference for carrion, people associated this bird with death. However, the raven is nature's orderly. Very smart orderly

• Black crows can not only croak, but also make trumpeting, guttural sounds.
• To attract the attention of its relatives, the raven takes an object in its beak and demonstrates it in every possible way.
• Raven is patient for a long time can sit, ruffled, waiting for the outcome of the event.
• It is considered a very smart bird. For example, in one of the experiments, in order to get drunk, a raven thought of throwing stones into a jug to raise the water level. When he saw that the water did not rise if plastic was thrown there, he threw it out of the jug with his beak. Only great apes exhibit such intelligence.
• Crows are easily tamed and are very loyal to their keepers. They are able to imitate a person’s voice, which greatly entertains their owners.
• Since it feeds on carrion, among people this bird is a symbol of death.

Animals have always attracted a lot of attention. The fauna world is rich and diverse. Not surprisingly, he keeps many secrets. One of the many groups are birds. These feathered inhabitants of our planet amaze with their diversity. But today I would like to talk about crows. Dark-winged creatures are credited with many “merits.” Let's find out Interesting Facts about crows right now.

Photo: imgarcade.com

It is worth noting that crows are members of the crow family. This name unites several species of birds. They are similar, and many members of the species are confused with each other. Crows include: crow, rook, jackdaw and raven.

The main misconception among most people is that the crow and crow are considered the same bird. However, these birds are not connected by family ties. Among crows and crows, there are also males and females. The difference is not striking, but quite noticeable: crows are much larger and have a darker color.

Photo: impressivemagazine.com

Like any living creature that spends time in a flock, crows are forced to use speech. The way of communication lies in their characteristic sound imitations. To the human ear, the language of crows sounds like variations of the sound "kar". However, for these birds the sound has different meanings: tones indistinguishable to people determine signs of danger, anxiety, compassion, joy and other emotional shades and transmitted information.

Birds are able to communicate not only with their voices, but also with gestures. Crows read information transmitted by beak vibrations. In addition, an individual flock may have own language gestures that will be understood only by members of a small community.

Photo: m.fotostrana.ru

Despite the terrifying appearance of these amazing birds, crows are prone to unbridled fun. Of course, this is difficult to believe, but this statement has been clearly confirmed. Crows love winter landscapes. Riding down slides and rooftops, wallowing in the snow - all this is in the spirit of the dark wings.

Moreover, playing catch-up with forest dwellers is a matter of mood. Even an ordinary pebble on the road can turn out to be a worthy device for collective fun in the air. An individual may carry small item in the beak and, if desired, transfer it to another. The playing partner, having caught the improvised ball, will pass it to the next crow. The game can continue for quite a long time until eventually the stone returns to the ground.

Photo: plesak.livejournal.com

For scientists, crows are amazing creatures. They became the subject of the most unusual studies, the results of which shocked many.

It turns out that our winged friends recognize numbers, that is, they have the ability to count and are able to solve problems for five-year-old children. For example, if you put two bowls of food in front of a crow, and add at least 2-3 more grains to one, then the bird will unmistakably choose the bowl with more grains. It is noteworthy that not a single person is able to perform this action correctly.

If danger approaches, crows can drop a nut, stone or other object on a person or animal, thereby ensuring the safety of themselves and their offspring.

They are able to remember and transmit information through generations. This is mainly observed in cases of resentment. There is confirmation that several years later, and having covered hundreds of kilometers, a flock of crows flew to the offender.

If you place a vessel half filled with water in front of the bird and place stones next to it different sizes, then the crow will not only select pieces of rock of suitable size, but will also fill the vessel with them, which will allow her to drink water from it. In addition, if there is a stale crust of bread, the bird will definitely soften the cracker in water before eating it.

Photo: stockio.com

Thanks to your mental abilities, crows have the talent to adapt to living conditions. Their ingenuity can be the envy of many representatives of the fauna.

For example, urban crows in China use cars to crack nut shells. In this case, the birds wait for the red traffic light and then lay out the nuts on the roadway. Then, after passing through the auto-flow, the fruits are collected from the shells.

The ability to “read gestures” has made it possible for birds to imitate the sounds of nature and animals. Thus, by imitating the call of a fox or wolf, birds can scare away other predators from their prey. Moreover, birds living in captivity for a long time can learn to talk like a parrot.

Another one unusual ability Raven is the ability to use a mirror. The bird not only understands the difference between a reflection and a real object, but can also determine the location in space of the original by its reflection.

Photo: 5ballov.qip.ru

The life cycle of a crow ranges from 17 to 40 years. It all depends on living conditions and diet. Oddly enough, birds living in captivity have a longer life expectancy. Moreover, they get used to a person, and if he takes care of the bird properly, then in gratitude it will protect him.

Parents take care of their offspring very carefully until the chicks are able to feed themselves on their own. Having left their father's nest, young crows gather in flocks. Here they reach puberty, find their other half and prepare for family life.

It is worth noting that crows are as faithful to their partners as swans. In the event of the death of one of the pair, the other individual remains alone until the end of its days. If one crow dies, the person who finds it notifies everyone in the area. The birds fly into a flock, raising a din and scream, and then in an instant, as if on command, they fall silent and sit in silence for a long time, mourning their loss.

In addition to grief, birds are characterized by a sense of compassion. If one of the individuals is injured, then the others take care of and nurse their friend until the patient is able to return to duty, or they understand that this is no longer possible.

Photo: newscientist.com

Birds have a varied diet and are unpretentious. Of course, the best treat for crows is carrion. That is why these birds are considered harbingers of death.

To get bugs and larvae from under tree bark, crows use twigs, thereby protecting their beaks from damage. Parents do not teach chicks how to make such specialized devices. This skill is transmitted at the genetic level.

Another nutritional feature has been noticed. Young animals prefer to get food in a flock, realizing that together it is easier to scare away or take away their prey from other animals. Older individuals prefer to feed separately or with their own family.

As we have noticed, many myths about ravens are confirmed by facts. However, if we discard existing superstitions, these birds are very cute and friendly. It all depends on the person's intentions. After all, any aggression in the animal world is nothing more than a defensive reaction.

As it turns out, a crow can only think so much worse than people and nothing human is alien to her. We should not forget about this when placing ourselves on the pedestal of evolution.

That's all we have. We are very glad that you visited our website and spent a little time to gain new knowledge.

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Crows have been popular in the myths and tales of many peoples for many centuries. It is not surprising that man shrouded this bird in some mysticism. The black color, sharp beak, piercing gaze, ominous cry - all this together gives the bird a mystical quality, which many look at with caution to this day. In addition to mystical qualities, the black bird has many amazing real features. Let's take a look at some of them.

Mind of the Crows

Crows are one of the most intelligent birds. When we're talking about about intelligence, these birds, according to scientists' studies, react better than dolphins and chimpanzees. Crows living in cities have learned to easily get their own food, sometimes using rather cunning methods to deceive people. Crows found in wildlife, can throw small stones from high at people approaching their nests.

Crows can imitate human speech
Crows living in captivity can learn to speak better than some parrots. These birds are also able to pick up the sounds of car engines, toilet flushes and animals. In the wild, crows often imitate wolves and foxes. By imitating their call, crows often manage to scare them away from their prey and feast on the leftovers.

Crows as evil in disguise
The French believed that ravens were the reborn souls of wicked monks and nuns. In Germany, crows were believed to have a demonic origin. In Sweden, the night rattle of a crow was associated with the curse of a restless soul. In Denmark they believed that ravens expel evil spirits and if you look at them at that moment, you can turn into a crow.

Crows in myths
According to the myths of Tibet and Greece, ravens act as messengers of the gods. Celtic goddesses of war often took the form of crows during battles. In China it was believed. That crows cause bad weather, by the will of the gods, to warn people of impending danger. In some Indian tribes Crows were worshiped as separate deities.

Crows are extremely playful
The playfulness of crows was noted by Native Americans. Crows are able to ride on snowy hills solely for the purpose of entertainment. It is not uncommon to see crows playing with other animals, most often cats and dogs. And in the wild there are otters and wolves. In the game, the crow can use sticks, cones, balls and other objects that it finds nearby.

Crows and ants
Crows, having discovered an anthill, begin to roll around on it and sort through the feathers. This is done in order to large quantity ants made their way under the feather cover. This behavior is not entirely clear, however, one theory says that the crow does this in order to soothe the skin after molting and sprouting new feathers.

Crows and their gestures
Crows are able to communicate without sound signals. According to research conducted in Austria, crows are able to demonstrate a variety of beak gestures that will be understood by crows belonging to the same flock.

Crows are adaptable
Crows live in all corners of the world. They easily get along in both snowy and desert conditions, both in deserts and in forests. The adaptation process is greatly simplified due to the lack of pickiness in nutrition. Crows eat everything: fish, meat, tree fruits, carrion and even garbage. Crow lifespan: 17 years in the wild and up to 40 years in captivity.

Crows sympathize with each other
Scientists have proven that crows are able to sympathize with each other. If a crow breaks a wing or suffers any other injury, the crows in the same flock will not leave it until they are sure that it cannot continue on its way.

Crows in gangs
Throughout their lives, crows live in pairs in their assigned territory. When young crows are able to feed themselves, they leave the parental nest. Their next home is a gang of crows. In which they live until they find a partner to live together and produce offspring.

For city dwellers, crows are most likely the most familiar bird after sparrows and pigeons. These black birds are especially noticeable in winter, against the backdrop of snow. The flight of their flock produces a rather gloomy impression. It is based, first of all, on the knowledge that crows often circle where there are corpses, which is why they are considered harbingers of death.

Crows are very smart birds, but people don't really like them. And this dislike has a basis. Black birds drag everything that is in bad shape, take away trash cans, can easily attack pets and, in turn, do not really like humans. A flock of crows can ruin the harvest of a decent-sized garden or vineyard. It is extremely difficult to drive away crows, much less kill them.

However, the intelligence of crows attracts attention to them. They become the object of numerous studies, and simply observing these birds can bring some pleasure.

1. The fact that a raven and a crow are not male and female at all, but different types birds is widely known. Much less known is the fact that crows are common name a genus of birds, which includes several species of ravens and several species of crows, and there are 43 of them in total. And they are included in the order of passeriformes.

The difference is clearly visible

2. In general, we can say that crows are larger than crows, and their color is much darker.

3. Another difference between similar birds is the attachment of ravens to one nest. Accordingly, crows build their homes with solid structures, from fairly thick branches, which are covered with hairs or moss. Their smaller cousins ​​build a new nest every year.

4. The most close-up view The raven - it is called the “giant raven” - lives in Indonesia. Birds of this species can reach 60 cm in length. Giant crows live in the jungle, which is now being intensively cut down. The reduction in the area of ​​habitable habitats has brought the giant raven to the brink of extinction.

5. White crows, in principle, exist. Their color is caused by the effect of albinism - the absence of a coloring pigment. However, such a bird has practically no chance of survival - its coloring does not allow it to hunt effectively or hide from predators.

6. Crows are monogamous birds. Once having chosen a partner or companion, they spend their entire lives together, and after the death of a partner or partner they do not look for new ones.

7. Crows have a very developed language. Sounds of different tones can announce general fee flocks, talk about the presence of food or threat. Of course, birds use sounds in mating games. In total, they are capable of making up to 300 different sounds. For a conversation with Ellochka the cannibal, for example, this is more than enough.

8. Crows are very smart birds. They can count and invent a wide variety of ways to get to food. It is known that in order to crack a nut, they fly higher and throw it. But these are Russian crows, who have a lot of land at their disposal. In overpopulated and completely built-up Tokyo, crows throw nuts at intersections, wait for red traffic lights and eat nuts crushed by cars.

Limousine is a good nutcracker

9. In cities, we see crows with a 99% probability. Crows are much less adapted to life in cities, especially large ones. However, they feel quite comfortable in large parks.

10. This type of bird can be called omnivorous. Crows can hunt small animals, but they may well be content with carrion. The same applies to plant foods - they may peck at fresh grain or berries, but they will also be quite satisfied with rotten food from a landfill.

Landfill - stationary food station

11. Crows can easily be called “flying rats.” They suffer a lot of diseases, but they themselves do not get sick, and are extremely tenacious. Moreover, a crow is very difficult to kill even from firearms. The bird has such sensitive hearing that it hears the click of a cocked gun tens of meters away and instantly flies away. They also feel the gaze of a person.

12. Crows are a collective species. The flock will never give offense to a wounded or sick bird, to the point that its relatives will feed it like a chick. However, exceptions were also recorded when a flock abused a wounded crow. However, the crow might not be from this flock.

13. In fairy tales and myths, ravens are endowed with an amazing life expectancy for living creatures - they can live 100, 200, and 300 years. In fact, crows live up to 50 years at best, and in greenhouse conditions close to humans and regular feeding they live up to 75 years.

14. In the Tower of London, ravens from XVII are considered to be on public service. They lived in the Tower before, but the state had no need to feed them - the bodies of those executed were enough. Then they began to execute them in another place, and the ravens were transferred to government food. Each of them receives 180 grams of meat per day, dry food, vegetables and sometimes additional rabbit carcasses. They are looked after by a special caretaker. One of the ravens can accurately repeat human speech. And when there was an epidemic of bird flu in Europe, the ravens in the Tower were put in special spacious cages.

Crows in the Tower. On the right are the same cells

15. Crows are very fond of all kinds of entertainment and often come up with them themselves. They can ride with ice slides and ice-covered roofs and other smooth surfaces. Another fun thing is throwing small item from above so that another crow catches it, and then switch roles. Any small shiny thing will certainly interest the crow, and it will try to steal it to hide it in a hiding place.

16. Crows also live at home, but such a neighborhood can hardly be considered happiness from the point of view of the average person. Birds shit very intensely and make harsh sounds. bad smell. They are very jealous and try to scare or peck any stranger who comes into the house. Understanding the prohibitions well, crows violate them when left alone - they damage furniture, clothes or shoes.

17. Experiments conducted by scientists from one of the American universities showed that crows distinguish and remember people’s faces. However, the story of a hunting dog owner who was walking his pet along the same route is being actively circulated on the RuNet. A dog once killed a wounded or sick crow, after which the route of the walk had to be radically changed - a flock of crows constantly tried to attack the dog and its owner. Moreover, changing the time of the walk did not help - there was always a “duty” crow on the route, which immediately called the flock together when it saw the dog and its owner.

18. Aesop's fable about a crow raising the level of water in a jug by throwing stones into the water was repeated in laboratory conditions. The result was the same.

19. Folklore different nations doesn't say anything good about crows. They are either harbingers of death, or the souls of the dead, or the souls of the damned, or simply harbingers of serious misfortune. Unless in Scandinavian mythology two ravens are simply Odin's scouts. Unmanned aircraft, therefore, are not an invention of the 20th century.