According to the latest research, there is a species of bird that is not only highly intelligent, but is also able to communicate numbers using sound, an ability previously unknown in the animal world.
It has long been known that crows are highly intelligent and creative creatures, but recent research from the University of Tübingen has deepened this understanding even further: crows can count out loud. This special ability appears in birds belonging to the crow family by squawking in response to some visual and audio signals, which raises them to a whole new level on the scale of animal intelligence.
While other animals, such as bees, are able to interpret numbers, crows are unique in their ability to communicate the final result of the count vocally.
The researchers conducted experiments on three sooty crows (Corvus corone), in which the birds were trained to respond to different symbols, or vocal cues, by emitting croaks ranging from 1 to 4.
At the end of the trial, the crows pecked the target to indicate that they had completed the task. The results were impressive: each crow was able to produce the correct number of caws in response to the signals.
According to a study published in the journal Science, this ability is comparable to the counting ability of young children, for whom using numbers still poses a major intellectual challenge.
According to the neurosurgeons leading the research, this discovery not only expands our knowledge of the adaptive and cognitive abilities of crows, but may also shed light on new aspects of birds' communication channels. The results suggest that crows are able to use complex communication strategies that were previously thought to be human traits.
This research may open new horizons in understanding the intelligence of not only birds, but also other animals.
source: Science Alert
(Cover image: Crowe. Illustration: Getty Images)
