Thursday, October 27, 2011

A town where they fire fireworks at Crows

In Terre Haute they have a Crow Patrol which fires fireworks at crows. But Crows are resilient...
Humans have tried to keep crows away since forever. They have used scarecrows to feign human presence. They have hung sulfur-dipped rags to remind crows of gunpowder. They have mounted dead crows on sticks. They have sent out hawks, banged pots, laid out strychnine, shot off guns, paid bounties. Still the crows come, as if to peck away at our sense of superiority.

Crows are too intelligent to fall twice for most tricks. They care for their young and sick. They communicate through a vocabulary that goes well beyond “caw.” They use tools. They take note of our behavioral patterns and, even, our faces.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Researchers say crows have the same numerical cognition ability as human beings

Are these guys idiots?
The research by Shoei Sugita, professor of animal morphology at Utsunomiya University, and others has confirmed for the first time in the world crows can distinguish quantities of items, suggesting the birds have the same numerical cognition ability as human beings.
Yes crows can tell which symbol means food, but does that mean they can count?