New Caledonian Crows

"Landep News"

There are many animals that have been praised for the way in which they take care of their young, but probably one of the most underrated animals from this point of view is the New Caledonian crows.
These types of crows are experts when it comes to using tools, and seeing them in action will most likely surprise you. These birds are capable of using various materials, such as wires, sticks, leaves, and many other natural or artificial objects they can get their claws on. They use these tools for very complex activities such as collecting food from certain regions, or even obtaining other tools which they find to be better for a certain job. The interesting thing is that these crows are very similar to the chimpanzees, elephants, and macaques, which have proven to be very skilled when it comes to handling the tools. The reason for the dexterity in the case of those animals is the fact that they can use their hands or their trunks in order to handle the tools. These crows have been filmed in action, and many of these videos have ended up online. The reaction of most of the viewers was to categorize them as being fake, as there are some things which these birds can do which seem unreal.
For example they can often be seen in videos, bending wires in order to use them as hooks. They often try to use them in a certain manner and when they see that they can not use them like that, they try to change the form, until they get it right. It is very surprising to see that a crow, which is considered to lack intelligence, can do these things. They are very smart and they will do anything in order to achieve their task. The scientists were amazed and curios about the way in which these birds managed to become so skilled at handling the tools. The researchers from Auckland University have analyzed these birds and they have reached to the conclusion that in a certain manner they are very similar to humans. The baby crows are protected by their parents for a very long time, and they get to stay with their parents until they reach a certain age. This is the reason why they get to be so skilled with handling the tools when they reach a certain age; because they get to see their parents using the tools. A human baby learns in the same manner, by observing his parents do certain things. The crow parents, just like the human parents are very patient and they help their offspring learn through positive reinforcement. Two journals which deal with this issue appeared in the Animal Behavior and Learning and Behavior. The researchers got to examine the craws in their natural habitat. The crows gave birth to eight chicks, but unfortunately only one managed to survive, the rest of them being killed either by the natural predators or by the weather conditions. Jennifer C. Holzhaider, the lead author was the lead author on those new studies. She stated that it was very heartbreaking to see the chicks dying, but she could not intervene. The researchers hope that they will be able to understand more things about the crows if they will continue to analyze them. They want to see the exact ways in which the crows acquire their intelligence and their skills when it comes to handling the tools.
They want to understand what makes these birds special. There are almost 1,000 different types of birds such as crows, ravens, jays, and so on, and from all these birds only the New Caledonian crows are the ones which have acquired the skill of using the tools. They are the only species of bird which have the capacity of using the tools. Russell D. Gray, head of the Auckland laboratory which was involved in the research, was puzzled as well. He said that it does not make sense that a single species of birds which is located in a small island, have developed the capacity of creating tools. There are other animals which can use tools, but many of them can not manufacture the tools in order to use them for whatever tasks. These crows are similar to the chimpanzees, in the sense that they are able to understand the laws of physics, and that they are able to adapt to the circumstances and to the surroundings. The researchers have discovered that these birds do not actually learn what to do in a mechanical way. They adapt to the situation. For example, when they were in the laboratory in a controlled surrounding, the researchers made them avoid certain barriers in a plastic box. The interesting thing is that the researchers continuously switched the barriers, and the crows managed to get over them each and every time. This meant that the crows managed to make the distinctions between each situation, and they learned to adapt to it. It was discovered that the crows existed on this earth during the period when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth, that being 65 million years ago.
They first appeared in the region of Australia, but now they can be found all over the world. However, the New Caledonian crows can only be found on that continent, and in the same region where they first appeared. This type of crow is much smaller than the one from the prehistoric age, and in fact, it is much smaller than the other birds such as the ravens, or other types of crows. It has a length of less than 15 inches, usually around 12 inches, and a weight of 12 ounces. However, when it comes to intelligence, this bird manages to beat all the other birds in the world, and even many other species of animals. The researchers have stated that all the corvids have a similar brain size, but even so, the brain size of this type of corvid is bigger than the rest. The most impressive thing is the fact that the region of the brain which is involved in the associative learning and the fine motor skills is enlarged in the case of these birds. This is the reason why these birds are capable of accomplishing these amazing things. On top of that, they have the beaks which they use in order to manipulate the tools. Unlike the beaks of the other birds, the crows can use their beaks with a very high dexterity. They are similar to our opposable thumbs, as they allow the crows to do amazing things. Anne Clark, who studies American crows at the State University of New York at Binghamton, said that the beaks of these birds look as if they were designed t hold and manipulate tools. She said that one of the most surprising things about them was the fact that when they were in doubt about something, they used their beaks in order to hold a stick. It was as if they could think better with a stick in their mouths, just like a painter can think better with a paint in his hands for example.
Seeing them in action is very surprising. For example when they need to solve a problem, and they require the aid of the tool, they go and look for it. In case they can not find it, they take a twig from a tree branch and they will manipulate it in the way they want in order to give it the proper form. They use these tools which they have created themselves in order to collect their food such as worms or insects located in the cracks of the branches. They do not starve; when they need to ear they will obtain their food. The researchers have discovered that the way in which these birds manufacture their tools depends a lot on the place where they were born. Each region had a certain style when it comes to the way in which they create these tools. They do not change the styles in time, they remain true to their local customs. The researchers have stated that these birds are very different than the other birds, in the sense that they have a completely different social structure. They do not live in very high groups as many other types of bird species. The male crows live with the female crows for a very long time, which is kind of uncommon in the animal world. The interaction between the pairs is amazing as well. These birds stay together, they take care of each other, groom each other, and so on.
It has been observed that the pairs will use the same tools. If the male has manufactured a tool, the female will use it without enraging the male. This would not happen in other situations, as the male crows would not allow a different bird to use its tools.
The young birds will remain in the family between two and three years. The parents will take extra care of the young, teaching it lots of things. This is the reason why these birds are capable of using the tools in such a good manner. The parents will often “talk” to their young, just like a human parent will talk with their child. The young will start to utilize the tools after six months, as prior to that age they can not use them. They try to do it, but they are not successful at it. However, they are very persistent, and they do not give up. They try and try, until they succeed. The young see that their parents collect the food from the cracks of a branch, and they realize that they can find food there. They know what to do, and they will teach their children what to do as well.

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