The Intelligence Of Crows

Studies have shown that crows will examine different tool options given to them, and will not only choose a tool that is of the correct length or width for the assigned task, but they will also design a tool of the correct design and dimension if it is necessary for them to do so.

Crows will use sticks to acquire bugs, or other elusive food from small cracks or crevices, and they will even whittle sticks to make them thinner if this is the type of tool needed for the job. Crows have even successfully bent a piece of wire into a hook when it was required to retrieve the food which they were attempting to acquire.

When it comes to acquiring a meal the crow has devised amazing means of safely taking advantage of foods sources that are available to them.

Crows have learned to drop hard shelled nuts onto sidewalks or road pavement to crack them, and if this isn't successful, then this intelligent black bird aims the nut directly into a direct line of traffic so a passing vehicle will crack the nut for them. In addition to this, the crows have learned to watch changing traffic lights and pedestrian crossing signals for safe time periods in which to retrieve their meal without the danger of being run over by passing vehicles.

Crows memorize garbage routes and will show up on garbage delivery day. Crows are a bird that understands and remember time periods that will enable them to acquire the freshest meals. There is even some evidence that crows have the ability to recognize the concept of numbers. Rumor has it that when a certain number of hunters are pursuing them, they will wait for all of the hunters to leave the area, before they come out from hiding.

A social bird, crows pass on the skills they have learned to their offspring, as well as to others in their group who might benefit from the knowledge.

Like most birds, crows have strong family values, and when they win over their chosen companion they will generally stay together for life.

Crows are social creatures who are very devoted to their family units. Crows mate for life. The crows young will stay with the family for up to five years and generally leave the family nest after they have acquired a mate of their own. Crows will fiercely defend their own family unit and will also come to the aide of other crows in distress.

During the winter crows have a natural tendency to form communal crow groups to keep each other warm. These groups can be anywhere from a few dozen birds to hundreds of thousands of birds and it is a system built to insure the safety and survival of their species. Although these communal crow groups may seem frightening to some individuals, it is actually quite common for a variety of bird species to use numbers to increase their safety. Geese are a prime example of this trait in other bird populations.

Often considered a pest because of their natural tendency to congregate in large groups at local feeding spots, it is actually the crows black coloring which most often creates fear, and false assumptions about this bird. Black is a color often associated with negative assumptions such as death, gloom, doom, pessimism, unhappiness, foreboding, evil or the bad guy in the whole scenario.

The color black is actually a natural defense for protecting the crow from it's enemies. Owls and hawks are the crows primary predators and it is the crows black coloring which offers it invisibility to these enemies. Owls hunting at night are less likely to see the dark colored crow, and when hawks search for a meal in the light of daytime, a crow roosting in a tree will look more like a shadow than a meal.

It is mainly in urban areas where groups of crows run into difficulties. As more and more urban areas offer up easily acquired food, the adaptable crow moves closer to man, and closer to misunderstandings and danger.

Within cities their use of garbage as a food source has individuals and entire communities angered. In rural areas farmers often blame the crow for crop failures.

Crows do like to dine on a fine meal of cherries, or corn, but they also enjoy a number of tasty treats that it is in our best interest to have them consume. Crows actual consume a vast array of insects, and other waste material such as decaying vegetation or rotting roadkill, that would otherwise be harmful to ourselves and our environment. A crow earns it's place in our society by cleaning up carrion and waste grain matter. We just have to learn to give the Crow a little credit.

Eyes twinkling with intelligence the innovative crow stands out from other species, and perhaps this is what really frightens those who oppose it and hunt it. The crow is indeed a highly intelligent bird.

As for myself, I greatly admire the crow, and all of the character that it has to offer up to our world. I tip my hat to this bird, and hope that after reading this article, that you too will give a Crow a little credit for being the intelligent creature that it is.

Note: Crows are very sensitive to the effects of the West Nile Virus and this illness could drastically reduce their numbers in the future.

Honey is indeed one of life's little miracle foods, we should all consider keeping an ample supply of it in the medicine cabinet, in addition to keeping it within the kitchen cupboard. You never know when you will need the protective properties that it holds within it.

More powerful than commercially produced cough syrups for the relief of the common cold...The medicinal properties of honey.

Plush stuffed raccoon toys are as cute as the furry masked bandits that they are modeled after. Raccoons are well know for their curious nature and the mischief they get into because of it.

Their antics, and the black mask which surrounds their eyes, has rightfully earned them the title of a masked bandit....Stuffed Plush Raccoon Wildlife Toy.

A writer's thoughts are a little different from those of other individuals. Writers are just always naturally looking for those tiny little pieces of life and living that will become the basis for their next article or story line.

Little mental notes made, and tucked away, to be used at a later date. No opportunity is left unnoticed....Using your back yard as an inspiration for writing.

If it seems that mosquitoes seek you out more often than they do other individuals, well you may not be imagining things, they really may find you to be a more attractive target than the fellow standing next to you.

When searching for their next meal mosquitoes are definitely more attracted to some people than they are to others....Why are mosquitoes attracted to some people more than others?

When you participate in pleasurable activities like smiling, laughing, exercising or playing, your brain does an amazing thing and releases a little chemical message known as an endorphin.

These endorphins are feel good messages that have the power to actually remove physical and emotional pain. They travel down the spine, and then throughout your body, sending a feeling of well being as they go. These endorphins not only have the ability to relieve pain but they also have the power to make you feel happy. So remember to take time to play - It really is important.