I first became fascinated by crows and the family Corvidae
one bright winter’s morning when I was looking out the solarium window at the
tree where we feed the birds.
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| Painting by Jacqueline McIntryre |
We had tossed out bread crumbs, nuts and other goodies, and I
noticed that while the silly sparrows were just hopping around pecking, a crow
was carefully selecting each bread crumb, flying away fast southeast into
the trees with it and then returning for another. I could see that swift black
beauty planning for the future, and I was duly impressed.
Oddly, the experience made me realize how much I admire the
exercise of intelligence in all its forms.
And I’m not their only admirer. “Corvids like crows and ravens have been known for their intelligence long before much research was given to the subject,” wrote Lisa Winter. “In addition to being one of the few
animals capable of using tools to find food and solve problems, they have
complex social structures. Information is shared within the murder so that
group decisions can be made. They have incredible memories which allow them to
recognize human faces. This is bad news for the people that aren’t well liked
by the birds, because word can spread and the crows will dive and attack faces.”
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