关于乌鸦的离奇事实

关于乌鸦的离奇事实

Intelligence runs in the crow family, a diverse group of more than 120 bird species. And, as with most geniuses, crows and their relatives tend to be misunderstood.

乌鸦家族是一个由120多种鸟类组成的多样化群体。而且，和大多数天才一样，乌鸦和它们的亲戚也容易被误解。

The outsized intelligence and adaptability of corvids is definitely something to crow about. (Photo: Nancy Bauer/Shutterstock)

Known as corvids, this family of birds includes not just crows, but also ravens, rooks, jays, jackdaws, magpies, treepies, nutcrackers and choughs. They range from the 1-ounce dwarf jay, a small forest bird found only in Mexico, to the 3-pound common raven, a wily opportunist found across the Northern Hemisphere.

这种鸟被称为鸦科，不仅包括乌鸦，还包括渡鸦、白嘴鸦、松鸦、寒鸦、喜鹊、树莓、星鸟和树枝。它们的种类从1盎司重的侏儒鸟(一种只在墨西哥发现的森林小鸟)到3磅重的普通乌鸦(一种在北半球发现的狡猾的机会主义者)。

Below is just a sampling of what we've learned about their mental and social lives, focusing mainly on crows but also including ravens and other relatives:

以下是我们了解到的乌鸦心理和社交生活的一些例子，主要集中在乌鸦身上，也包括乌鸦和其他亲戚:

1. Crows have shrewd ways to get food.

乌鸦有精明的觅食方法。

Crows are known for quickly adapting to new situations and food sources. (Photo: Smeilov Sergey/Shutterstock)

Crows tend to be opportunistic and creative, commonly exploiting new food sources or adopting new feeding strategies to make their lives easier.

乌鸦往往是机会主义和创造性的，通常开发新的食物来源或采用新的喂养策略，使他们的生活更容易。

At the same time, this species often steals food from other animals, sometimes even secretly following victims back to their nests or food caches. In one case, a group of American crows was seen distracting a river otter so they could steal its fish, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, while another group followed common mergansers to intercept minnows the ducks had been chasing into shallow water.

与此同时，这个物种经常偷其他动物的食物，有时甚至偷偷跟踪受害者回到他们的巢穴或食物贮藏处。根据康奈尔大学鸟类学实验室的研究，在一个案例中，一群美国乌鸦分散了一只河獭的注意力，这样它们就可以偷它的鱼，而另一群乌鸦跟踪普通的默根瑟，拦截鸭子在浅水中追逐的鲦鱼。

2. Crows don't just use tools; they also make them.

乌鸦不只是使用工具;他们也制造工具。

An American crow explores the shores of Bon Portage Island in Nova Scotia. (Photo: Jukka Jantunen/Shutterstock)

Many corvids use tools, but New Caledonian crows are especially advanced. Like chimps, they use sticks or other plant matter to fish insects out of crevices. That alone is impressive, especially without hands, but it's just one of many tricks up their sleeves. In addition to choosing tools that are naturally well-shaped for a particular task, New Caledonian crows also manufacture tools in the wild, which is much rarer than just using found objects. This ranges from trimming the leaves off a stick to creating their own hook-shaped tools from twigs, leaves and thorns.

许多鸦类使用工具，但新喀里多尼亚乌鸦特别先进。像黑猩猩一样，它们用树枝或其他植物从缝隙中捕捉昆虫。单凭这一点就令人印象深刻，尤其是在没有手的情况下，但这只是他们众多花招中的一个。新喀里多尼亚乌鸦除了会选择适合特定任务的自然形状的工具外，还会在野外制造工具，这比只使用发现的物品难得多。从把树枝上的叶子剪下来，到用小树枝、树叶和荆棘制作自己的钩形工具，不一而足。

3. Crows can solve puzzles on par with human kids.

乌鸦可以像人类孩子一样解决难题。

A crow drinks from a water fountain at the Alipore Zoo in Kolkata, India. (Photo: Deshakalyan Chowdhury/AFP/Getty Images)

In Aesop's Fable "The Crow and the Pitcher," a thirsty crow encounters a pitcher with a little water in it, but is initially thwarted by the low water level and the bottle's narrow neck. Then the crow starts dropping pebbles into the pitcher, however, eventually raising the water level high enough for it to drink.

在伊索寓言《乌鸦和水壶》中，一只口渴的乌鸦遇到了一个水壶，水壶里只有一点点水，但最初因为水位低和水壶的窄颈而受阻。然后乌鸦开始往罐子里扔鹅卵石，然而，最终把水位线提高到足够它喝的高度。

4. Crows hold funerals for their dead.

乌鸦为死去的人举行葬礼。

Crows explore gravestones at Brompton Cemetery in London. (Photo: Guy RD/Shutterstock)

Crows are famous for holding "funerals" when one of their kind has passed away. It might be a lone individual or a group of crows, and it may be solemnly quiet or cacophonous. In some cases the crows may keep a vigil over the fallen bird for days on end. Could they really be mourning?

乌鸦以在同类死亡时举行“葬礼”而闻名。它可能是一个孤独的人，也可能是一群乌鸦，它可能是庄严肃穆的，也可能是嘈杂的。在某些情况下，乌鸦可能会连续几天守夜。他们真的在哀悼吗?

5. Crows gossip, hold grudges

乌鸦喜欢嚼舌头，心怀怨恨

Urban crows tends to be astute observers of human activity. (Photo: Maksym Fesenko/Shutterstock)

Several kinds of corvids have demonstrated a knack for recognizing human faces. Magpies and ravens, for example, are both known to scold specific researchers who have gotten too close to their nests in the past, regardless of what the researchers wear. Some of the best evidence of this ability comes from crows in Washington state, where Swift and her colleagues have done extensive testing on the birds' reactions to human faces they've learned to distrust.

有几种鸦科动物表现出了识别人脸的能力。例如，不管研究人员穿什么，喜鹊和渡鸦都以责骂特定的研究人员而闻名。证明这种能力的最好证据来自华盛顿州的乌鸦，斯威夫特和她的同事对乌鸦对人类面孔的反应进行了广泛的测试，他们已经学会了不信任人类。