By Bob Herbert, Methow Conservancy Volunteer
The
Methow Conservancy’s Dec 4th Holiday Social and “First Tuesday” proved
to be a very interesting evening for all those who attended. The barn was packed with about 350 people for
John Marzluff’s enlightening discussion about corvids. (See the end of this
article for more details about John Marzluff).
The Methow
Valley is filled with
these highly intelligent and social creatures, and this family of birds
includes crows, ravens, magpies, jays, and nutcrackers. The area of the world we live in is rich in
lore and native art depicting the raven.
The American Indians of the Pacific Northwest
revered the raven as the creator and they believed the raven was responsible
for bringing the light of the sun to the people of earth.
John
started the evening with a short video of a crow attempting to lift a small pail
of food out of the bottom of a 6” deep cylinder. The crow started by using a straight piece of
wire that it held in its beak, but it quickly realized there was no way to hook
the handle of the bucket. The crow then
applied leverage in order to bend the end of the wire into a hook. With the help of the newly fashioned tool,
the crow was able to snag the handle and remove the pail of food. It was an impressive show of intelligence,
and John was filled with many more interesting stories that displayed the wide
range of corvid’s abilities and emotions.
Corvid’s
brains are larger than any other birds’ brain when compared to their body size,
and they are not far from the brain to body weight ratio of primate, including
humans. Their brains are split into two
hemispheres, like humans, and PET scans show that different areas of their
brains are stimulated depending on if they perceive a threat or a reward. Their brains create dopamine, endorphins, and
testosterone, and the birds can live up to forty years. Because of their longevity and highly
developed brains, corvids are able to learn from their mistakes, remember faces
and voices, teach one another, speak through mimicking (like parrots), mourn
for their dead, give gifts, and defend their territory in large, organized
groups.
John
told us about one Washington
resident who fed his neighborhood crows every day with cooked chicken. One day while refilling the feeder he
complained to one of the nearby crows that their situation seemed
one-sided. He was doing all the giving
and the crows were doing all the receiving.
Later that day, he went outside to check the feeder and he found a
valentine heart candy in the empty feeder and the message read “Love.” After that, the crows continued to bring him
a variety of “gifts.” Another person in the
mountains of Colorado
watched ravens pick up small, flat pieces of wood or bark with their claws, and
then use them to surf in the wind. Perhaps
they were inspired by watching snowboarders!
John went on to share detailed and unbelievable stories of crows and
magpies speaking like humans
We
are lucky to live in a valley filled with so many of these wonderfully playful
and bright creatures. Corvids mate for
life and they are smarter than most people realize, so the next time a corvid
flies over your head, take a moment to say hello. John’s program proved that you never know
what you may receive in return.
More
about John Marzluff:
Dr.
John Marzluff is Professor of Wildlife Science at the University of Washington. His graduate and initial post-doctoral
research focused on the social behavior and ecology of jays and ravens. He was especially interested in
communication, social organization, and foraging. His current research brings this behavioral
approach to pressing conservation issues including raptor management,
management of pest species, and assessment of nest predation. His book, In
the Company of Crows and Ravens from 2005 blends biology, conservation, and
anthropology to suggest that human and crow cultures have co-evolved. This book won the 2006 Washington State Book
Award for general nonfiction. With his
wife, Collen, last year he published Dog
Days, Raven Nights, which combines reflection with biology and the
recreational pursuit of dog sledding to show how a life in science blooms. John’s latest book Gifts of the Crow applies a neurobiological perspective to
understand the amazing feats of corvids.
He has led studies on the effects of military training on falcons and
eagles in southwestern Idaho, the effects of
timber harvest, recreation, and forest fragmentation on goshawks and marbled
murrelets in western Washington and Oregon, conservation strategies for Pacific
Island crows, and the effects of
urbanization on songbirds in the Seattle
area. Dr. Marzluff has authored over 120
scientific papers on various aspects of bird behavior and wildlife management,
and he is a member of the board of editors for several academic journals. His research has been the focus of articles
in the New York Times, National
Geographic, Audubon, Boys Life, The Seattle
Times, and National Wildlife.
PBS’s NATURE featured his raven research in its production, "Ravens,"
and his crow research in the film documentary, "A
Murder of Crows." (Watch the full episodes at these links!) He is currently leader of the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service’s Recovery Team for the critically endangered Mariana Crow, a
former member of the Washington Biodiversity Council, and a Fellow of the
American Ornithologist's Union.
The Methow Conservancy also
gave its annual Conservation Awards and thanked all of the individuals and
businesses whose donations make programs like this possible. Go here for details about
the awards.
Have a safe and happy
holiday season everyone!