Posted on 09/14/2016 2:30:13 PM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
Soon they’ll be inventing crow wheels.
They haven’t learned how to calibrate a torque wrench. They’re getting into ratcheting box wrenches, though.
The tongue splitting thing is yet another urban legend that is unique in its cruelty.
A tamed crow can and will learn to mimic words without being subjected to this barbaric practice.
It’s analogous to docking dogs tails to prevent worms: No basis in fact, just “what we’ve always done”.
Researchers for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority found over 200 dead crows near greater Boston recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu. A Bird Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone’s relief, confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be vehicular impacts.
However, during the detailed analysis it was noted that varying colors of paints appeared on the bird’s beaks and claws. By analyzing these paint residues it was determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, while only 2% were killed by an impact with a car.
MTA then hired an Ornithological Behaviorist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car kills.
The Ornithological Behaviorist very quickly concluded the cause: when crows eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger.
The conclusion was that while all the lookout crows could say “Cah,” none could say “Truck.”.
Chimp using a stick moves them up a notch.
Scientist saying they are humans because of it moves us way down.
Crows are really smart for birds. Somebody please ping me when they make a computer or a bulldozer.
That is the full coven (I believe that is the correct term). In the winter they spend the night in an open field huddled together for warmth.
Years ago scientists at Harvard were studying why fewer crows than other avian species were killed by vehicles in the Boston area. After years of study, they realized that crows hunted in flocks after one of the crows perched in a tree or on a wire overlooking the street. Whenever a car would come the lookout crow would screech, “Cah! Cah!” and all the crows on the street would fly off.
The scientists kept observing the crows and realized that every crow that was hit by a vehicle was hit by a truck. Apparently, the lookout crows could not screech, “Truck! Truck!”
Wouldn’t the crows be able to find the nests on their own?
We are convinced that our dog can tell time. We usually feed him around 5:15 PM. Sometimes we are engrossed in something and forget that it’s his feeding time, but he does not forget and will come get one of us.
We are both retired, so it’s not a case of our coming into the house at a set time each day, nor do I prepare a meal for us around that time. We are both here all day, and what we are doing on any given day at that particular time can vary. Puzzling....
“The horror! The horror!”.
And the wasted photons!
Oh my.
LOL! I love silly jokes like that.
I get the cocked head stare, “Do you know what time it is?”
I hate chimps, no matter how smart they are. I just find them ugly and annoying.
Fortunately, I do not need to interact with them anywhere in my life. Otherwise, I would work on a way to be more charitable toward them.
So do I. Filthy birds. They make the absolute ugliest sounds in nature. Horrible to live near.
http://www.cracked.com/article_19042_6-terrifying-ways-crows-are-way-smarter-than-you-think.html
“Well, they also used stiff leaves and grass to manufacture knives, then used those knives to manufacture other tools”
Just saying.
Cheers.
My sister-in-law from Rhode Island has that accent, so the joke is particularly funny to me. Thankfully, Mrs BN does not!
I lured some crows in this Spring with cracked corn with the hope they would deter hawks trying to nest in the valley to protect my ducklings. I felt like the crows weren’t tricked at all, but accepted it as payment for a job. Biggest crows I’ve ever seen, came in a couple times a day like clockwork. They tore up the male hawk of a pair that were lingering, downing him in the river and then disrupted the nearby nest. The hawks left and stayed away for the year, so job well done. Always felt a kinship with crows for some reason, so don’t mind them hanging around. Friendly guys too, was practically hand feeding them bread when they were coming around a lot. Haven’t seen them for a couple of months though.
Me too. If I had to work with them in the lab, I'd find a big stick and whomp one of them.
Researcher 1: "What happened to Bonzi? His brains are splattered all over the wall."
Me: "You were right, they are geniuses. Buddy must have learned to use the stick as a tool, and figured out it was an effective weapon. He is much too dangerous to trust around the workers or other animals now. (deep sigh) I guess we will have to put him down.
Researcher 1: (Saddened) "Yeah, I guess you are right. We really don't have a choice do we?"
Me: (Fighting back crocodile tears) No, we don't. I'll contact security.
I also to teach them to amble seemingly aimlessly just pass the nest if they want one closer look. But we're to never walk up to a nest then turn back around and exit the same way. For ground predators like coyotes, this would leave a scent trail that dead ends at the nest. We don't want that.
General Comment: Some disease wiped out a whole bunch of crows in recent years it is my understanding. So... I feel a bit for the birds; sorry about the one negative experience I saw someone speak about per allegedly raiding nests. Maybe Bluejays do that too, it’s all fascinating.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.