As we learn more about the intelligence of crows, we can at least say with some certainty that it would be wise to avoid angering one.

Overall, the study may eliminate the layered cerebral cortex as a requirement for higher intelligence. Among the busy areas in the crows’ brains during this phase of the sequence was, not surprisingly, the pallium. Nieder’s interpretation of this sequence is that Ozzie or Glenn had to see or not see a flash, deliberately note that there had or hadn’t been a flash - exhibiting self-awareness of what had just been experienced - and then, in a few moments, connect that recollection to their knowledge of the current rule key before pecking the correct target.ĭuring those few moments after the sensory neuron activity had died down, Nieder reported activity among a large population of neurons as the crows put the pieces together preparing to report what they’d seen. When there was no flash, no firing of the sensory neurons was observed before the crow paused to figure out the correct target. When Ozzie or Glenn saw a flash, sensory neurons fired and then stopped as the bird worked out which target to peck.

In each test, they had to take the entire process from the top, seeing a flash or no flash, and then figuring out which target to peck.Īs all this occurred, the researchers monitored their neuronal activity. Along the Atlantic coast it is, I believe, rarely seen farther east than Maryland. The eastern carrion crow ( Corvus corone orientalis, originally a separate species C.orientalis) is a member of the crow family and a subspecies of the carrion crow. This sequence prevented the crows from simply rehearsing their response on auto-pilot, so to speak. Black Vulture, or Carrion Crow This bird is a constant resident in all our southern States, extends far up the Mississippi, and continues the whole year in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and even in the State of Ohio as far as Cincinnati.

Carrion crows