Crows Think Like 7 Year Old Kids on Volume and Water Displacement

New Caledonian crows or corvids, which are already known as one of the world’s most intelligent birds, actually have more to brag about when it comes to smarts. A recent study showed that these birds have comprehensions about water that matches a 7 to 10 year old human child.

 The story about the crow and the pebbles actually has some kind of truth behind it. a study by UC Santa Barbara professor Dr.Corina Logan showed that these birds have a higher understanding with space and measurement. Crows are able to identify differences between levels of water and the displacement that happens when solids are placed inside the containers. The study used tubes with water and a floating treat to see if the crows were able to choose the best items to help displace the water and make the treat float closer to the opening. It showed that the crows chose items that could displace more water. According to Dr. Logan, they have strong evidence that the birds use a cause-and-effect assessment to know how the water is displaced.

Intelligence has always been a well-known feature amongst crows, but New Caledonian’s are known to be the smartest amongst the species. The University of Auckland has even set up a number of aviaries to specifically study what these crows are capable of doing. Dr. Logan had worked for one but she wanted to see what wild crows were able to do. The birds from the aviary could have learned a thing or two from previous test so she caught specimens from the wild and set them free after conducting the water displacement test.