The New Caledonian crow can fashion hook-like tool from y-shaped twigs,
If you thought that only human use tool in order to interact with the environment, then think again. Crow-cam captures footage of tool-using crows, proving that crows are more intelligent than we give them credit for.
As unusual this experiment would seem, a team of zoologists from UK’s St. Andrew University, managed to capture several New Caledonian crown and outfit them with a belly-cam. Studying the crown in their natural habitat, without hampering their efforts, the team of scientists have uncovered some astonishing facts about the ebony birds.
Studying the birds in their natural habitat has proved to be quite difficult, but thanks to some newly-designed gizmos, such as the miniature camera, scientists are now able to study the birds in their natural habitat and observe their behavior.
The belly-cam registered over 12 hours of footage, as the black birds would fly to and fro. Out of the 12 hours of activity, the scientists were interested in two key moments. According to the team, the New Caledonia crow is able to fashion hook-like tools in order to facilitate access to different sources of food.
During their glide through the forest, the two New Caledonian crows paused for a moment in order to gather some materials. At first, the team thought that the birds were beginning to gather twigs and sticks, which they would later use in order to construct their nest.
But to their surprise, the crown had something else in mind. The team declared that the crows were most diligent in their search for the materials they will need in order to fashion their tools.
The two birds found a couple of twigs and managed to snap off one of the branches. They would use this hook-like tool in order to hunt for its food.
As stated, the experiment is deemed to be a premiere in the scientific community. For a long time, both biologists and zoologists have agreed that there are species of animals out there who are capable of crafting and using tools. This fact has been proven to be true in certain species of primates and parrots. But this is the first time someone has seen an actual footage of a crow crafting its own tool.
But it would seem that tool-making is not an everyday occupation. According to their observation, the crows would spend less than 3 percent of their time crafting and using tools. And it would seem that not all of them know how to use them.
The team observed a total number of 10 birds, out of which only 4 other decided to pick up the crafted tools and use them, the other ones sticking to traditional beak-foraging.
Photo credits:www.wikipedia.org
