09-01-2010, 03:10 PM
Skaag Wrote:I didn't realize my story was trying to imply higher intelligence in crows. Maybe "smart" wasn't technically the right choice of words. Instead, I was simply trying to relate an experience I recently had that was semi related to the topic. Before, I had always noticed them doing what you suggest. Flying away with the food or just eating at the spot. This was the first time I had seen a bird take any type of efforts to "hide" his food for later use and sharing. Given that the park was full of other birds and squirrel I can understand why he would need to hide it from sight. Also the size of the other crows suggest that they no longer use a nest. But are still young enough to be near the parents. Maybe he was teaching them how to "find" food but I wasn't being paid any grant money to do further study.
Correction, there is another bird that I have seen store its food. Some little bird on discovery channel was using the thorns from a local bush to skewer lizards on. It would leave them for a day to die and dry out. Then return to eat them. It even had multiple meals lined up. I believe it was behavior being shared by several of the birds of his species in the area.
Have you seen PlanetLife with the vultures that drop bones onto stones to crack them open for bone marrow? Not 'smart' but I just wonder how they acquired that skill and how it was passed on, as birds are more instinctual and not nurtured.
I love seeing the shows on whales & dolphins and how different pods have their own cultures and have invented different hunting techniques.
[should not have shot the dolphin]