Crows' brains possess the ability to recognize faces, then associate them with both negative and positive feelings the same way those of humans do.
Twelve adult male crows were captured, with investigators wearing masks portraying a “threatening face”. In captivity over four weeks, they were fed by people wearing masks portraying a “caring face”. Their brains were scanned as they were exposed to either the threatening or caring face, revealing a region where negative associations are stored as memories.
The findings may offer a way to reduce conflict between birds and endangered species. It also has the potential to improve understanding of the neural basis for animal behaviour.
Gerard Dean
Managing Director
And there is more. I love Crows.
When next you are driving on a standard highway in the bush (1 lane each way), keep an eye out for crows eating road kill.
If the crows are on your side of the road, they will wait until you get close, then hop across the white line or to the edge of the road. If the crows are on the opposite side of the road, they often won't move as you whizz past. They know what side of the road you are approaching.
Then, once you have witnessed that, watch crows doing the same on a freeway where there are at least 2 lanes going the same way. The crows know that both lanes approach from the same direction.
My old man used to say that Border Collies and crows were smarter than a lot of humans.
Keep up the good work
Gerard Dean