Crows Found To Have Very Good Call Control With Numerical Sequence, Experts Say

Experts discovered through a recent study that crows have very good call control with numerical sequence.

In the study, it was emphasized that numerical ability has been increasingly identified among nonhuman animals.

Ability To Count

Researchers pointed out that animals as diverse as birds and bees have been proven to be able to count. Further, they can also discriminate among different numbers of objects or between greater or fewer objects.

Experts tested whether crows, which are considered as popular for both their numerical skills and high level of cognition, could use vocalizations to count out loud. They said this was a skill that is challenging even for young humans.

The study said that the crows flexibly produced between one and four vocalizations for corresponding cues associated with numerical values. Aside from that, they can also use different calls for different numbers.

It was further explained that producing a specific number of vocalizations with purpose requires a sophisticated combination of numerical abilities and vocal control.

Whether this capacity exists in animals other than humans is still to be determined by experts in the field. 

In the said experiment, the birds were given the task that when seeing a selection of Arabic numerals or on hearing specific sounds, they had to produce one to four calls as appropriate.

The crows should also conclude their call sequence by pecking on an enter key.

Researchers were able to show and prove that crows can flexibly produce variable numbers of one to four vocalizations in response to arbitrary cues associated with numerical values.

They noted that the acoustic features of the first vocalization of a sequence were predictive of the total number of vocalizations, indicating a planning process.

Read Also: Crows Display Clever Behavior to Adapt to Urban Human Environments

Vocal Units

Moreover, the acoustic features of vocal units predicted their order in the sequence and could be used to read out counting errors during vocal production.

The study results showed that humans are not the only ones who can do this. Experts underscored that in principle, it also opens up sophisticated communication when it comes to the crows.

Crows are defined as large, intelligent, all-black birds with hoarse, cawing voices. They could commonly be seen in treetops, fields, and roadsides, as well as in habitats ranging from open woods and empty beaches to town centers, according to animal experts.

The bird usually feed on the ground and eat almost anything, such as earthworms, insects and other small animals, seeds, and fruit; also garbage, carrion, and chicks which they usually rob from nests.

Experts said that crows are crafty foragers that sometimes follow adult birds to find where their nests are hidden. Moreover, the said species sometimes steal food from other animals.

They also sometimes follow songbirds as they arrive from a long migration flight and capture the exhausted birds. Crows also catch fish, eat from outdoor dog dishes, and take fruit from trees.

Related Article: Crows May Take Over the World With Their Intelligence and Cunning