The Birds Are Watching You

January 27th, 2010

“Wild crows can recognise individual human faces and hold a grudge for years against people who have treated them badly. This ability – which may also exist in other wild animals – highlights how carefully some animals monitor the humans with whom they share living space.”

What you always feared is true.

Categories: science | 12 Comments

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12 Responses to The Birds Are Watching You


  1. Disrepdog said, on January 27th, 2010 at 4:21 pm:

    I’ve come across this before. The video is great. Crows are known to be very intelligent, as are all the corvids. Ravens especally give me pause for thought, huge birds with a lot of wisdom in their eye yet very gentle when handled. Which is just as well because their beak is massive!!

  2. clive whitelock said, on January 27th, 2010 at 6:00 pm:

    You say, Mark, that “What you always feared is true”, I have always hoped fervently for it to be true. I’m hoping especially for the ghastly parade of cooks who clutter up the television schedules to be held to account. Now that would be the day!

  3. MarkC said, on January 27th, 2010 at 6:09 pm:

    If we all wore masks of the people we despise, we could train the birds to attack them en masse. Just thinking aloud.

  4. Justin Blazier said, on January 27th, 2010 at 6:24 pm:

    I hate birds and they hate me. They poop on my car, I head to KFC. Small victories for both of us.

  5. hampshireflyer said, on January 27th, 2010 at 7:07 pm:

    And they can use tools, too: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7027923.stm

  6. Tim Lebbon said, on January 29th, 2010 at 10:23 am:

    Which proves they’re cleverer than us. There’s no way I could recognise a crow that shat on me 3 years ago.

  7. Geoff Rodley said, on January 30th, 2010 at 9:16 pm:

    Crows,wonderful crows.I`ve been feeding them for years.Quite a few generations have shared my food with me,bringing their young each season or so to say “hello” to the human they have checked-out for years.Took me an age of feeding them before they would allow a catching of my eye,and not noisily head for the trees. I sometimes ponder who runs this cross species relationship.They sit an my fence at the same time each day and caw for attention.If tardiness takes my time then they will caw in union,drawing closer to my house door.Life reaches out to life.The responsibility for my actions is understood and,so far,is still enjoyed.Crows love cheese;dripping and bread, and oily fish. I wonder how they see me: a gourmet god or a slave and patsy.Does it matter.
    They get the food and live as Corvine kings,I receive their tolerance and tentative acceptance.Service keeps my feet on the ground while they fly free and high above my human world.It is so good to see.I envy the wild and untamed crows

  8. MarkC said, on January 30th, 2010 at 11:20 pm:

    Geoff, you turned a minor science news story into a philosophical reflection. I’m impressed.

  9. Geoff Rodley said, on January 31st, 2010 at 12:17 am:

    Hi mate,
    Tell it to the crows,will you.I`m just their fall guy.”I seek to serve” as my old school motto goes.The Crows seek to eat when and where they can……even envy them that simple instinct.Have you ever seen a fat crow?

  10. clive whitelock said, on January 31st, 2010 at 12:48 pm:

    I think it’s fantastic the amount of interest the crows have generated.

  11. MarkC said, on January 31st, 2010 at 1:22 pm:

    Who’d have thought it. I thought it was only me interested…

  12. Geoff Rodley said, on February 1st, 2010 at 1:25 am:

    There is ,apparently, a lot more to crows than anyone of us have imagined.Celts really have a warm place for them in their ancient hearts.Old power and arcane ways,forgotten or repressed by “modern” man.Now this old soul loves `em to bits.One thing;their poo is impossible to get out of a t-shirt,believe me ,I`ve had to toss dozens.Such is the life of the crow enthusiast;being shat on from a great hight.

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