Lisa O
If you’ve ever thought of crows as just noisy, black birds, think again. These remarkable creatures have hidden talents that will change the way you see them forever. They can remember individual people for years—whether you were kind to them or not—and they communicate in ways that scientists are only beginning to understand. Let’s dive into 15 incredible things you never knew about crows—but definitely should.
They Can Remember Your Face for a Lifetime
If you wrong a crow—by scaring or harming it—it might remember you for years. Scientists have found that crows teach their offspring and even their entire community to avoid or harass certain people. On the flip side, if you’re kind to them, they’ll remember that too! Some people even form friendships with wild crows, receiving small trinkets in return.
They Can Solve Puzzles as Well as a Seven-Year-Old Child
New Caledonian Crows can solve multi-step puzzles that would stump most animals. In experiments, crows have figured out how to drop stones into a tube to raise water levels and access food, a problem-solving ability similar to that of a young child. Some researchers even believe that crows possess a kind of reasoning ability that goes beyond simple trial and error.
They Hold “Funerals” for Their Dead
When a crow discovers that another has died, it calls out loudly to attract other crows to the scene. No matter what it looks like, this gathering is more about safety than mourning. By coming together around the dead bird, crows may be trying to understand what the cause of the death was, helping them learn about dangers in the area and protect themselves in the future.
They Use Tools—And Even Make Their Own
Few animals can create and use tools, but crows are among them. They bend twigs into hooks to extract insects from tree bark, drop nuts onto roads so cars can crack them open, and even use leaves to sponge up water. Some crows in Japan have even learned to place nuts at pedestrian crossings, waiting for the light to turn green so they can safely retrieve their snack!
They Can Talk (and Even Mimic Human Voices!)
Crows don’t just caw—they can mimic sounds, including human speech (yes, you read that right). While they’re not as well-known for this as parrots, some pet crows have been taught to say words and little phrases. Wild crows have also been heard imitating car alarms, dog barks, and even the ring of a cell phone.
They Have Regional “Dialects”
If you listen closely, crows in different parts of the world have unique calls, just like people have different accents. In fact, a crow raised in one city might not understand the “language” of crows from another area. Even within a single group, young crows pick up local vocal patterns from older members, showing that they have their own form of culture.
They Are Masters of Deception
Crows are incredibly sneaky when it comes to hiding their food because they always seem to be aware of who might be watching. If they think another crow is watching, they will pretend to bury their food in one spot while secretly tucking it away somewhere else so that no one steals it. This level of trickery shows they have an advanced understanding of what others might be thinking.
They Play Just for Fun
Crows aren’t just smart—they know how to have fun too! They’ve been seen sliding down snowy rooftops repeatedly, dropping things from high up to watch them fall, and doing flips and spins in the air. This playful side isn’t just cute—it proves how clever they really are since only the smartest animals play just for the joy of it.
They Can Recognize Themselves in a Mirror
Very few animals can recognize their own reflection, a sign of self-awareness. Elephants, dolphins, and some great apes can do it, and so can crows. When researchers placed marks on a crow’s body that it could only see in a mirror, the bird used the mirror to inspect and try to remove the mark, proving it understood that the reflection was itself.
They Can Work Together to Outsmart Predators
Crows are smart enough to know that fighting alone isn’t always the best idea so when they spot a predator like a hawk or an owl lurking around, they don’t just sit back and hope for the best—they call for backup and a whole group of them is chasing, dive-bombing, and harassing the intruder until it gives up and flies away. This teamwork, known as “mobbing,” is actually a well-organized strategy that helps keep their entire community safe.
They Can Understand Traffic Rules
Some crows have been seen waiting at crosswalks with people and watching the lights change. Crows drop hard nuts onto the road when cars stop at a red light. When the light turns green, the cars drive over the nuts, cracking them open. Once the traffic stops again, the crows fly down to collect their food safely. This clever trick shows that crows can understand and use human traffic rules to make life easier.
They Use Cars as Their Personal Nutcrackers
Crows have come up with a brainiac solution that makes their lives way easier—they simply drop the nut onto a busy road and let cars do all the hard work for them. Then they patiently wait for the traffic to stop before grabbing their snack. This kind of problem-solving behavior shows how smart and adaptable they are.
They Can Hold Grudges for Years
If you ever make an enemy of a crow, beware—they don’t forget. Scientists wearing masks while trapping crows found that even years later, those same crows would scold and dive-bomb anyone wearing the same mask. They also told other crows, and the information spread across entire groups, even reaching birds that had never seen the original incident.
They Can Count and Understand Numbers
Crows can also count, which is very rare in the animal world. They can keep track of numbers up to at least five, and they even learned to peck a certain number of times to earn a treat in some experiments. That means they weren’t just randomly pecking and hoping for the best—they actually knew how many times they had gone and kept track like little bird mathematicians.
They Bring Gifts to Humans They Like
If you’ve been kind to a crow—maybe feeding it regularly or looking out for it—it might leave you a tiny present in return, like a shiny button, a small piece of metal, or even a little snack. Some people who have built strong relationships with crows end up collecting all sorts of unique trinkets.
