The myth of crows as "freeloaders" of wolves has been debunked. A new study has changed scientists' views on these birds, showing that they act as true strategists rather than mere observers.
A group of researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna and the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior conducted an extensive study in Yellowstone National Park, where wolves have reappeared since the 1990s. To analyze the behavior of crows, the researchers equipped 69 birds with GPS trackers — a record number for such studies.
Simultaneously, the movements of 20 wolves were tracked, as reported by "Vokrug Sveta".
The results of the study were unexpected. Over two and a half years, scientists observed that crows rarely followed wolves for long periods. This calls into question the traditional view that birds simply monitor predators in anticipation of a meal.
In fact, crows exhibit much more complex behavior. They possess outstanding spatial memory and create a mental map of the terrain. The birds remember locations where wolves successfully hunt, such as open valleys where it is easier to catch deer or bison. Instead of recklessly searching, crows fly purposefully, covering up to 155 kilometers in a day and spending up to six hours in the air continuously. This allows them to reach a piece of meat first before wolves begin their feast.
Thus, crows do not merely follow wolves; they analyze their behavior, checking potential hunting sites. While they may rely on sounds or movements of predators, their intelligence and accumulated experience play a key role across the entire territory.
According to the researchers, this discovery fundamentally changes the understanding of crow behavior. The birds demonstrate a level of planning and navigation that was previously thought to be characteristic only of the most advanced animals. They are not tied to a specific pack of wolves and flexibly adapt their strategies based on memory and environmental analysis.
The findings of the study emphasize that crows are not just companions of predators but independent "landscape analysts" capable of predicting events.
The post Magnificent Bird Intelligence: How Do Crows Know That Wolves Nearby Have Caught Prey and Are About to Feast? first appeared on K-News.
