Aesop's crows

There have been a lot of crow family studies published recently that show this same brain power. Another example of social animals developing enhanced mental faculties.

I remember reading an article a year or 3 ago about a find in Canada that showed a pack of T-Rex had all died huddled together in a giant mudslip. Not the only carnivore of the late Cretaceous to be social and it makes me wonder how smart they were. They had bigger brains than us after all.

Huge dinosaur may have hunted in “packs”

T-Rex brain:
 

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funny its taken science 2000 years to test out this fable, anything to do with its 'ridiculous' associations with witchcraft and sorcery and therefore refutation by the church [and so early science]!

Witchvox Article
 
Something about this I'm just not buying.

Those crows were waiting for the handler to put the rocks into the cage.

They looked at the worm and the cylinder and looked at the cage door.

As soon as the rocks were placed they immediately began putting them in.

And they accurately calculated the displacement of water?? Duh, no need to put more rocks in once you get the worm.

Something is afoot.
 
Why Wil? I thought you a man of the open road... you must have watched these dark sentinels that patrol our tarmac throughout the world.

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I have, they and many others...my favorites are turkey vultures and pelicans...

I'll agree they can learn something...but the fact that this bird was waiting for the handler to provide the rocks is indication to me that this was not his first time as the text indicated.
 
The crow family (Corvidae) has repeatedly stuck out in intelligence tests over other birds - IIRC, the New Calaedonian Crow repeatedly outshines apes, but Rooks also do exceedingly well on problem-solving tests:

Crows make monkeys out of chimps in mental test - life - 17 September 2008 - New Scientist
Crow reveals talent for technology - 08 August 2002 - New Scientist
Crows use multitools, but do they plan ahead? - life - 05 August 2009 - New Scientist
Brainy crows learn how to upgrade tools - 15 March 2003 - New Scientist
Crows wield tools with human-like skill - life - 16 August 2007 - New Scientist
Tool use by shy crows caught on camera - life - 04 October 2007 - New Scientist

It appears that at least some individuals or species of crows can:

1. Create tools
2. Modify tools to new tasks
3. Create multiple tools to solve a single problem

all of which is pretty remarkable for any animal, let alone a bird - and yet appears well documented.

There are lesser stories that sometimes make the news, about how Rooks, Jackdaws, or Crows have found some way to tap into human food sources - prying open bins using bent wires and similar - I'll try and remember to post these as they come in. :)
 
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