"I'll keep lookout while you see what you can find in there". Picture of two busy crows on a roof.
Photo of Crow on a railway water pipe.
"This will be nice for the nest". Picture of a Crow who has found some fluffy feathery material.
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Continued from...Crow - Birds of the Corvus genus
Crow intelligence
As group, Crows demonstrate admirable examples of
intelligence and they are considered by many to be the most intelligent
birds. They seem to show signs of planning and communication
between individuals. One of their species, the New Caledonian
Crow (Corvus moneduloides), has recently been studied intensively regarding
its ability to make and to use its own tools to obtain its food.
It creates hooks from plant materials, and uses these self-made tools to
skilfully remove grubs from logs.
Crows can count slightly. For example if
three people enter a bird observation hut and two then leave, they know
that the hut is not empty. Crows can learn to speak words and
short sentences even clearer than parrots.
All crows have the interesting habit of collecting
and hiding away bright objects that they do not seem to have any particular
use of, apart from their attraction to the object's brilliance. Despite
their remarkable abilities though, Crows and Ravens are very rarely kept
as pets or domestic animals. This may be partly due to their mischievousness,
which can be annoying.
Crow Legends and Mythology
The remarkable Crows and Ravens have roles in legends
and myths worldwide. Their wisdom, intelligence and flying powers were
used by Ancient Gods and Kings. These birds and superstitions surrounding
them also played a role in the day-to-day lives of people.
In the Nordic mythology the Raven symbolizes wisdom.
The God Odin had two Ravens called Hugin and Munin who flew around gathering
news of happenings in the world, and sat on the God's shoulders telling
him of what they had seen. The Greek God Apollo considered the Raven
to be a sacred bird.
King Arthur of the English tale of Camelot and
the Round Table was said to have not died but have been transformed by
magic into a Raven or Crow, although other stories, particularly in Cornwall
say Arthur was turned into a Chough
or a Puffin. Legend says that if all the living Ravens leave
the Tower of London, a catastrophic end will come to the English monarchy,
and the Tower of London will fall. The "Beefeaters" who run the Tower
therefore keep a group of Ravens there - just in case!
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