Crow is a bird widely depicted in culture, literature and mythology. The Roman poet Ovid called her a harbinger of rain. In Denmark, these birds are considered a manifestation of evil spirits, but the Swedes believe that the souls of deceased people inhabit them. In this article you will find a lot of interesting facts about crows, their intelligence, behavior and "language".
Raven, crow, crows… Understanding terminology
Before we share with you the most interesting facts about crows, you should understand the relevant terms and names. After all, not everyone knows how a raven differs from a crow, or what is the difference between ravens and ravens. So let's get started…
Crow is a common non-scientific name for several varieties of birds. Crows (emphasis on the first syllable) is a genus of birds that combines about four dozen different species. One of them is the common raven, which will be discussed in our article. Finally, under the word crows (or corvids)it means a family that includes, in addition to the genus of ravens, also magpies, jays, nutcrackers and some other birds (over 120 species in total).
Well, looks like we've got that covered. Next, we have selected for you a list of the most interesting facts about crows. In addition, in the article you will find descriptions of the most famous bird species from the genus of crows. Well, are we reading?
Interesting facts about crows
Children of primary preschool age have one curious feature: when playing in the sandbox, they often pick up a toy or a spatula and raise it above their heads. This is done in order to attract the attention of adults. Ravens also use this technique to attract the attention of individuals of the opposite sex. To do this, they take a twig in their beak and show it to the one whose attention they want to capture.
Forming the ratings of the most intelligent animals, a person includes in the top five, along with his beloved, a chimpanzee, a horse, a dolphin and … a crow. By the way, the ratio of the size of the brain and body in this bird is exactly the same as in humans. Many representatives of Homo sapiens are puzzled by this interesting fact about crows, and some are completely frightened. A crow's brain is five times larger than a pigeon's, which allows them to come up with the most ingenious ways and options for obtaining food.
Thus, the residents of the Japanese capital watched an amazing picture. City crows on a busy street were patiently waiting for the car lights to turn red. At that moment, they quickly laid out walnuts on the roadway.nuts and returned to the lawn adjacent to the road. When a series of cars passed, savvy birds took already split nuts from the asph alt.
An interesting experiment was carried out by scientists at Oxford University. The local crow Betty was given the following task: to get a delicacy from a transparent and very narrow pipe. Pieces of wire of different lengths were laid out nearby. The bird, after some thought, chose the longest piece of wire, made a hook at its end with the help of its beak, and easily took out food from the pipe. And this is perhaps the most incredible and most interesting fact about ravens! For children under three years old, by the way, a similar experiment was carried out. And few of the human cubs could think of such a thing.
Many of you have probably seen how a crow in the park carefully takes food out of a bag or bag. She can also open a matchbox with her paw or unwrap candy from a wrapper. What else are these birds capable of? More interesting facts about crows - further in our article.
10 Surprising Crow Facts
- The range of these birds covers almost the entire globe, with the exception of Antarctica.
- Crows tend to have one mate for the rest of their lives.
- In the wild, these birds live up to 10-15 years, and in captivity, if favorable conditions are created, they can live up to 30 years.
- But the Arabs are sure that the raven is an immortal bird.
- Crows are able to imitate humans and other animals.
- Crows often use wire, hangers and other metal objects to build their nests.
- Some species from this family are endangered (the most striking example is the Hawaiian crow).
- These birds are omnivores. They can eat fruits, nuts, frogs, the remains of dead animals.
- Crows are able to remember human faces.
- Crows love to flock. Sometimes their numbers can be measured in thousands of birds.
Exceptional mind
As mentioned above, crows have exceptional intelligence. So, scientists at the University of Auckland found out that these birds can use a mirror for their practical purposes. With the help of reflection, they easily found the hidden delicacy. According to researcher Felipe Rodriguez, crows are able to analyze information on a par with elephants or primates.
Crow is one of the few birds that uses improvised items to get food. For example, with hooked twigs they get larvae from the bark of trees, and with fork-shaped blades of grass they string gaping insects and worms.
Phenomenal memory
Think twice before throwing a rock at a flock of these birds in your yard. After all, crows also have an excellent memory. They are able to remember the faces of those people who threaten them. This feature was checked during the experiment by Professor John Marzlaff. Moreover, as it turned out, crows also transmit information about their offenders to other birds. There is a known case when the feathered avengers attacked a group of police officers in the state of Washington, who committed beforeshooting birds in another state.
Crow rituals
In the course of observing these birds, one interesting fact was established: gray crows arrange a wake! Upon discovering the dead body of their feathered relative, they scream piercingly for several minutes, and then silently sit on nearby branches. Scientists are now trying to find an explanation for this amazing phenomenon.
Here's another curious ritual: crows often roll around the anthill in order to launch as many ants as possible into their feathers. Why they do this is unknown. There are several assumptions. It is possible that formic acid, secreted from the bites of these insects, has a beneficial effect on the skin of crows.
Games and entertainment
Crows know how to have fun, like domestic cats or puppies. Many cases have been recorded when these birds slid down hills or snow-covered roofs. One Muscovite watched for a long time how two crows chased a tennis ball across the roof with great passion. They "passed" it to each other with their beak, located on opposite sides of the roof. The game continued until the ball hit the ground.
Next, we will briefly talk about the most famous and common species of the genus of crows: black, gray, common crows, as well as rooks.
Black Crow: brief description and interesting facts
Black crow (lat. Corvus corone) is a bird from the genus of crows with black plumage, beak and paws. body length -from 48 to 52 centimeters. The bird lives in the vast expanses of Eurasia, in particular, in Central and Western Europe, Siberia, East Asia and the Russian Far East.
By nature, black crows are scavengers. Nevertheless, they are not averse to feasting on grain, worms, or eggs of other birds. The black crow is a noisy bird, it can sit on a branch and scream for a long time, taking short breaks between croaking cycles. These birds are absolutely fearless, they can attack eagles and golden eagles. Sometimes they attack cattle (especially in winter).
Grey Crow
The gray crow (Corvus cornix) is a separate species of the corvidae family or, according to other classifications, a subspecies of the black crow. The body length of a bird usually does not exceed 50 centimeters. The feathers on the body are colored gray, with the exception of the wings, head and tail. The gray crow lives in Central and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Asia Minor and Russia (up to the Ural Mountains).
Grey crows remember well the places where they hid their prey. They show considerable ingenuity in the process of obtaining food. For example, they throw nuts from a great height to crack them. What else is known for the gray crow? An interesting fact from her life: a bird, having found a dry piece of bread, will first soak it in the nearest puddle, and only then will it start eating. By the way, gray crows remember and recognize those people who feed them.
Common Raven
Common raven, or just raven (lat. Corvus corax) -one of the most common bird species. Its range covers almost the entire Northern Hemisphere of the Earth, including Central America, North Africa and the southern coast of Greenland.
The bird's body weight reaches 1500-1600 g, and the length is 65-70 centimeters. Distinctive features of the common raven: a massive sharp beak and the presence of elongated feathers on the neck (the so-called "beard"). The color of the plumage is monophonic, black with a metallic sheen.
The raven is a very cautious bird with patience and the ability to wait. The degree of socialization in this bird is extremely low. Basically, crows keep in pairs, and only in winter they can unite in small flocks.
Rook
Rooks (lat. Corvus frugilegus) are often mistaken for ravens. It is they who live in large numbers in city parks and residential courtyards. The body length of the rook is relatively small - 45-48 centimeters. The rook differs from the raven in its gray beak, bare (open) nostrils, and also in its voice - the bird emits a sonorous shrill “kaaa”, in contrast to the hoarse crow “kraaa”. In addition, the rook can be recognized by the characteristic purple tint of plumage.
Rooks are omnivorous birds that live in flocks. Very often they arrange large colonies on the upper branches of tall trees. Scientists at the University of Cambridge recently found that rooks are just as smart and savvy as other corvids.
