The Fascinating World of Crows: Smarter Than You Think
One day, dear reader, I was walking through the city. The streets were empty, and suddenly I felt a sharp strike on my head. I thought it was one of my clumsy friends playing a prank. I turned around—no one was there. I kept walking, and another strike hit me. Again, I turned, and again, no one. Feeling a bit strange, I looked down at my shadow—only to notice the shadow of a bird swooping toward me. It was a crow! The same crow I had stolen a shiny coin from, right next to its nest. Clearly, it had come for revenge.
This odd encounter sparked my curiosity. Why was this crow behaving differently from other birds? Why did it remember me? So I dug deeper and discovered a world of secrets about crows that most people never notice—despite seeing them almost everywhere. Buckle up, dear reader, because today I’ll share with you a fascinating journey into the mysterious mind of the crow.
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🧠 Crows Remember Faces
In 2011, a famous research study at the University of Washington, led by biologist John Marzluff, revealed something extraordinary. His team noticed that certain crows consistently attacked specific researchers—the ones who had captured them before. To test this, Marzluff’s group split into two teams:
One wearing a black mask (the “dangerous” group).
One wearing a white mask (the “safe” group).
The black-masked group captured and handled some crows. Months later, when both groups returned, the crows immediately recognized and mobbed the black masks—sometimes even when their faces were partially hidden by hats. They cawed loudly, almost as if scolding them: “How could you do this to us, you heartless human?”
The white masks Completely ignored.
Even more amazing—when the experiment was repeated two years later, the hostile reaction doubled. More than 40 crows joined in the mobbing, including young birds who hadn’t even been alive during the first capture. It seemed the older generation had taught them who their enemies were.
This explained perfectly why that crow came back for me and my stolen coin (I just hope I don’t face an entire crow mafia in the future 😅).
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👨👩👧 Crow Society: United They Stand
Crow communities are surprisingly similar to human societies. Like us, they understand the value of unity: together we stand, divided we fall.
Young crows often help their parents raise their siblings.
They show loyalty and responsibility toward their families.
They cooperate in solving problems and defending territory.
And believe it or not, scientists say crows can solve puzzles at the level of a 7-year-old child.
For example, if you place water in a tall tube just out of reach, a crow will drop in small pebbles—carefully choosing the right size—to raise the water level and drink. They also use sticks to pull objects closer, and even invent clever “life hacks.” Some crows drop walnuts onto crosswalks, wait for the traffic light to turn red, then calmly retrieve their snack while the cars stop.
(That’s right—they understand traffic lights better than some humans 🫢).
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🧪 Delayed Gratification: Marshmallows and Crows
You might have heard of the famous Stanford marshmallow experiment in the 1960s. Children were offered one marshmallow immediately, or two if they could wait 15 minutes. Most failed the test—few resisted the sweet temptation.
In 2014, researcher Friederike Hillemann tried something similar with crows. She offered them bread right away—or a juicier worm if they waited. At first, most grabbed the bread. But after learning the system, nearly all of them waited patiently for the worm.
Think about that: a bird capable of planning for the future, sacrificing instant pleasure for greater reward. That’s advanced self-control—and a level of awareness you wouldn’t expect from a creature with wings.
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⚰️ Crow Funerals and Mercy Killings
Crows even show a kind of morality. When a fellow crow is sick or suffering, the flock may practice a form of “ mercy goodbye ” to end its pain. After death, they gather around the body, cawing loudly in what looks like both grief and warning—part mourning ritual, part alert to nearby danger.
It’s hard not to see this as a reflection of human empathy.
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🎁 Gifts and Gratitude
If a crow remembers those who wronged it, it also remembers kindness. People who feed or care for crows sometimes receive unexpected “gifts” in return—anything shiny the crow can find, from bottle caps to jewelry. Some even report crows dropping coins or rings as tokens of gratitude.
(you can even train them to bring you money in exchange for food profitable project 🫢 ).
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🗣️ Language and Culture
Crows don’t just communicate; they have dialects. Some go “caw-caw,” others “kaah-kaah,” with variations between regions. When a crow moves to a new community, it often adopts the “accent” of its peers to blend in.
And just like parrots, certain crow species can mimic human speech if trained with delayed rewards.
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🧩 Final Thoughts
The crow is no ordinary bird. It is a thinker, a planner, a family member, a mourner, a problem-solver—and yes, sometimes a mischievous thief (like the one who hit me on the head).
So next time you see a crow, don’t just brush it off as another black bird in the sky. Behind those dark feathers lies a sharp intelligence, a deep memory, and maybe—just maybe—a gift waiting for you if you treat it right.
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✨ That’s our story with the crow: the bird that remembers, plans, grieves, and sometimes even teaches us lessons about ourselves.
✍️ بقلم: Knowledge Corner
