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Common Raven
Corvus corax
51.0013, 3.58356
Field Notes
Description:
Ravens are one of the most intelligent species not only of birds but also in the animal world.
These large black passerines hold one of the largest brains among birds. Their intelligence has been documented through multiple studies.
For example, as mentioned in Wikipedia:
Ravens are one of only four known animals (the others being bees, ants, and humans) who have demonstrated displacement, the capacity to communicate about objects or events that are distant in space or time from the communication. Young, unmated Common Ravens roost together at night, but usually forage alone during the day. However, when one discovers a large carcass guarded by a pair of adult Ravens, he will return to the roost and communicate his find.
Their problem-solving ability has been tested in an experiment involving a piece of meat attached to a string hanging from a perch. To reach the food, the bird needed to stand on the perch, pull the string up a little at a time, and step on the loops to gradually shorten the string. Four of five Common Ravens eventually succeeded.This supports the hypothesis that Common Ravens are 'inventors'; that is, they have the ability to solve problems presented to them. They are also known to use "tools" in nature. They regularly hide the food they find if they cannot eat it immediately and return to it later. They have been seen even tricking other bird by making them believe they were caching food in one place to divert the possible thiefs who were observing them. They are also known to make calls to atract predators to a prey so that later they can profit eating on the carcass. They are also known to drop pieces of food in the roads so that they get smashed by cars, to them pick them back. They play with each other and they make their own toys. Finally, Ravens can mimic sounds from their environment, including human speech.
If you wish to learn more about ravens please consider reading:
Mind of the raven, by Bernd Heinrich
(http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Mind-Raven-Bernd-Heinrich/?isbn=9780…)
You will be amazed!
Habitat:
The bird in my spotting is called Freggel and he forms part of a flying exhibit (http://www.uilenhof.be/old/).
In the wild you can find these birds in temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere. They prefer wooded areas although populations are also known to live close to urbanized areas, which are also an easy food supply for them.
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