a murder of crows
Last Sunday, a captivating and eye-opening documentary aired on PBS Nature called "A Murder of Crows." In case you're wondering, as I did, if "murder" is referring to some sort of unfortunate massacre, it's actually just the proper term for a group of crows.
The documentary portrays the amazing intelligence of crows in several unique respects, some of which has only recently been discovered by biologists. It's reflected in their memory, communication, survival methods, creativity and tool-making. Some of their capabilities even astonishingly match or surpass those of apes.
From the episode page:
They thrive wherever people live and have used their great intelligence to adapt again and again to a constantly changing world. Some memorize garbage truck routes, and follow the feast from day to day. Others drop nuts in the road and wait for passing cars to crack them open.
The documentary touched on the emotion evidenced by crows as well, including a unique grieving ritual observed on some occasions. I especially appreciated this line from one of biologists interviewed in the film, an appropriate thought as we get ready to head into a series on the reality of animal suffering: "Animals seem to feel pain. Social animals seem to feel social pain, they seem to grieve for a while when their partners die."
Following is a brief introduction to "A Murder of Crows," but you can watch the entire 50-min. episode on PBS Nature:
My favorite scene, which starts at about the 12:50 mark, describes some of the ingenuity of crows in making tools for obtaining food, and remarkably shows one particular crow using a two-step and then a three-step process to reach a piece of fruit! What remarkable creatures of a remarkable Creator, who enodwed them with much more acumen and creativity than we usually give them credit for.
This is a good opportunity to remind of an excellent post "How I Came upon my Corvids" by our friend and fellow believer Debby Porter. Debby administrates the tremendously educational and testimonial site Corvidae: Crows and Ravens, and does faithful rescue work on behalf of crows and other animals as well through Rescue Pets Revenue. Both of which you can also find on Facebook, and are well deserving of our support.
(photo copyright 123rf.com)
October 31, 2010
Reader Comments (2)
My comment will be a tad shorter than the "ad" that someone slipped onto your site, Ben.
I was privileged to watch this program, too. As I did, I felt an extra special kinship with the crows who caw at me from their perches as I pass by underneath, sometimes with snacks for them. At first they recognized me by one flowery summer shirt I wore, now they know me by my face, I think.
When animals act with obvious intelligence (and, really, all creatures' movements express that quality!), I like to regard them not as human-like but rather as reflections of our mutual Maker!
Thanks, Susan. I usually get to the spam comments each day, and this one must have arrived just before you got to the post. It was a great documentary, wasn't it? And it's wonderful that you've formed a similar relationship with crows in your own neck of the woods. And I think your last comment is an interesting one - if we as humans are said to be made in the image of God, than human-like traits would in some respect, and by degree, be a reflection of the same. Thanks for that reflection - Ben