Crows have a somewhat maligned reputation not just in popular media but in mythology as well.
For example, as Odin’s messengers, the presence of pairs of crows is often thought to portend or announce the death of someone close.
Watch this crow try to play with the dog below.
[rumble video_id=v5uk0n domain_id=u7nb2]
Video credit: Rumble
But in truth, crows are intelligent and playful creatures who are not beyond “teasing” other animals who may catch their fancy, as is the case with this Rottweiler who seems to be lounging in the middle of a sports field.
There the pooch is just peacefully minding his own business when from behind him, a naughty crow slowly hops closer and closer until it starts pecking on the dog’s tail. The dog is understandably startled but not really alarmed.
He looks back and sees the cheeky bird but doesn’t really do anything to the crow which only emboldens the crow who cleverly takes a peck before hopping away for safety. The dog’s owner who is taking the video can’t help but be amused at the sight.
But the intelligence of crows goes beyond playing tricks on other creatures. Some have even posited that these birds are probably as intelligent as dolphins and chimps and one interesting study seems to support that assertion. In essence, the study found out that crows can actually recognize the people who have deceived them.
A team of researchers from Lund University (Sweden) and the University of Vienna (Austria) conducted the study and published the results in Animal Behavior. Jorg Massen, a cognitive biology expert, led the team that did the study.
In the experiment, two researchers positioned themselves on either side of the crow’s cage. One researcher gave the bird a piece of bread crust. The crow then hopped over to the other researcher who exchanged it for the cheese.
Next, they changed the person who gave out the cheese. This time, the new researcher ate the cheese instead of giving it to the crow in exchange for the bread crust. Six out of the seven birds in the study chose to only deal with the “right” cheese person thereafter.
The researchers think that crows may remember the faces of those who have cheated them for at least two years although they have yet to prove it. Still, it’s a striking insight into a bird that many thought to be a nuisance in ages past.
Replaced!