There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Open discussion about any topic, as long as you abide by the rules of course!
Post Reply
phantasmagoria
Posts: 8525
Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 7:00 am

There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by phantasmagoria »

Probably only available in the uk, but I'd recommend giving it a listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01dttzf

Basically it's a 30 minute report on just how fucking smart these fucks are, their brains are a similar size in ratio with that of chimps and I'm sure you've seen videos on youtube of them stealing fish from overnight fishing holes and using tools, the lady goes and interviews various university folk doing cognitive experiments with them, there'a bit about how they track eye movements which is fascinating. When they're preparing and burying food for winter they'll often go back and re-hide their bounty if they know that other birds are watching them while they're burying it.

Anyway, I found this TED talk from a guy that's trained wild birds to use vending machines so they'll go round picking up change and deposit it in his machine as reward for food.



I want a pet Jackdaw even more now :ducky:
[size=85]
User avatar
Transient
Posts: 11357
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2001 8:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by Transient »

I've seen the TED talk, but I'll have to give the audio clip a listen. I thought it was pretty cool, but a bit creepy. I see crows foraging on the highway on my way to/from work every day. In VT there's little traffic, so they have pretty much free reign to wander as they please. Without fail, they manage to hop out of the way of cars just in time to not be run over without needing to take flight.
[quote="YourGrandpa"]I'm satisfied with voicing my opinion and moving on.[/quote]
User avatar
GONNAFISTYA
Posts: 13369
Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2005 8:20 pm

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by GONNAFISTYA »

Crows are awesome. :up:
Tsakali
Posts: 7175
Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2000 8:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by Tsakali »

there is an alarmingly massive crow that frequents in the back yard. I don't think he likes me much, every time I go to the back yard he'll do his thing pretty loudly for 10 seconds or so and then fucks off. what an ass :disgust:

Since i never did anything to him, he must be a moron.
Last edited by Tsakali on Tue Mar 27, 2012 11:09 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
Scourge
Posts: 15559
Joined: Mon Mar 25, 2002 8:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by Scourge »

Transient wrote:I've seen the TED talk, but I'll have to give the audio clip a listen. I thought it was pretty cool, but a bit creepy. I see crows foraging on the highway on my way to/from work every day. In VT there's little traffic, so they have pretty much free reign to wander as they please. Without fail, they manage to hop out of the way of cars just in time to not be run over without needing to take flight.
I've ran over a few.
User avatar
Captain
Posts: 20410
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 2:50 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by Captain »

Scourge wrote:My house ran over a few.
Fixed.
phantasmagoria
Posts: 8525
Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2003 7:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by phantasmagoria »

woah randy ffs, this is a nice thread about how clever crows are and you come in with all your rage and talk of avian homicide?

calm down man.
Last edited by phantasmagoria on Tue Mar 27, 2012 11:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
[size=85]
Tsakali
Posts: 7175
Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2000 8:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by Tsakali »

Scourge wrote:
I've ran over a few.
you're supposed to hit the brakes not the accelerator :smirk:
User avatar
mrd
Posts: 4289
Joined: Sat Mar 25, 2000 8:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by mrd »

Crows are dicks, I try and run over them whenever they land in front of my car. I've yet to catch any though :\
User avatar
Transient
Posts: 11357
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2001 8:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by Transient »

I have to admit, there were a couple occasions when I swerved to see if I could catch one that got too cocky. Never got one, though. Then I realized I'd have to clean crow off my grill, so why bother? Plus there's a bajillion of them out there and what did they really ever do to me?
[quote="YourGrandpa"]I'm satisfied with voicing my opinion and moving on.[/quote]
Ryoki
Posts: 13460
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2001 7:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by Ryoki »

Crows and their cousins are my favourite birds, i just love how clever the little shits are :)

And that's like, my favourite TED talk - i've shown it to many people :D You should totally try to build the vending machine phant, the blueprints are to be found on that dude's site if i recall (though a quick google yielded no results, sadly). I'll try to give the audio a listen later, but seeing as it's BBC it's probably set up so that dirty foreigners can't steal it or something.

Thread also seems like the right place to leave this:



Edit: no i can listen to it, awesome \0/
[size=85][color=#0080BF]io chiamo pinguini![/color][/size]
User avatar
Scourge
Posts: 15559
Joined: Mon Mar 25, 2002 8:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by Scourge »

phantasmagoria wrote:woah randy ffs, this is a nice thread about how clever crows are and you come in with all your rage and talk of avian homicide?

calm down man.
They seem to just commit suicide. You sure you haven't been over here talking to the birds?
User avatar
plained
Posts: 16366
Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2002 7:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by plained »

thats neat stuff phanta

i always think crows are getting personal with me when ive come in contact with them in the past

they were being right dickheads ey!
it is about time!
HM-PuFFNSTuFF
Posts: 14376
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2001 8:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by HM-PuFFNSTuFF »

Change your name to Jack Daw.
xer0s
Posts: 12447
Joined: Sat Feb 10, 2001 8:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by xer0s »

Scourge wrote:
Transient wrote:I've seen the TED talk, but I'll have to give the audio clip a listen. I thought it was pretty cool, but a bit creepy. I see crows foraging on the highway on my way to/from work every day. In VT there's little traffic, so they have pretty much free reign to wander as they please. Without fail, they manage to hop out of the way of cars just in time to not be run over without needing to take flight.
I've ran over a few.
Road rage...
DTS
Posts: 2879
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2000 7:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by DTS »

It shows how arrogant you are that you are surprised that animals are intelligent.
User avatar
plained
Posts: 16366
Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2002 7:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by plained »

Captain Mazda wrote:
Scourge wrote:My house ran over a few.
Fixed.

i actually came close to coacoa out my nose a couple nights ago with that one!
it is about time!
HM-PuFFNSTuFF
Posts: 14376
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2001 8:00 am

Re: There was a thing on the radio today about Corvids (crows)..

Post by HM-PuFFNSTuFF »

DTS wrote:It shows how arrogant you are that you are surprised that animals are intelligent.
Whereas DTS has frequently observed animals smarter than he, all his life and has been humbled.
Post Reply