This document discusses research on crows and their ability to recognize individual humans. It describes two main questions addressed: 1) Can crows learn to recognize individual people? 2) Does social learning take place? The research found that crows can learn to recognize dangerous versus neutral masks through both individual learning and social learning from other crows. Crows that observed the capture of other crows or subsequent scolding of the dangerous mask learned to discriminate faces more accurately than those only observing.
36. A raven is the
first bird
released from
Noah‟s Ark
(Gen 8:7).
37. San Onofre
a.k.a St Onuphrius
by the Spanish painter,
Francisco Collantes
(1599-1656)
Museo del Prado
38. St Paule theHermit with
St Anthony the Great
Coptic (Egyptian 4th century)
"Now, I know that you are
one of the children of God.
For 70 years, the Lord has
been sending to me
everyday, half a loaf of
bread, but today, the Lord is
sending your food also.”
39. Elijah Fed by the Raven
c. 1510
Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo
86. Study Treatments
• Ten trials per site
• Nine treatments per trial
– Negative mask
– Five neutral masks
– Negative mask + armband
– Two neutral masks + armband
87. The Dangerous
Face is Always
Recognized, and
Especially Likely
to Attract a Mob.
But not Perfectly
93. When presented a choice between a Dangerous and a Neutral
Mask, Crows accurately identify the Dangerous
94. Two Main Questions
1) Can American Crows learn to recognize
individual people?
2) Does social learning take place?
95. Acquisition of Information
• Individual “trial and error” Learning
– Allows Flexibility
– But, Dangerous
• Social Learning
– Flexible
– Reduced Cost
96. Three Opportunities for
Observational Learning
1) At time of capture
2) Associating with
crows who were
captured when they
encounter the
trapping mask at a
later date
3) Young of crows who
had been captured
97. Spread in the
Geographical
Extent of Scolding
the Extraordinary
Face over
3.3 Years
98. Urban Site (B.)
shows a result
similar to the
campus study but
not elsewhere (A.)
Downtown urban site has
similar density and
unpredictable identity of
humans as does the pilot
campus site
Dangerous mask
downtown was bald man,
most similar to
extraordinary face from
campus
99. Individuals with the Direct Experience of Being Captured
Learned to Discriminate Faces More Accurately Than Those
Only Observing Capture or Subsequent Scolding of Captors
100. Vertical Learning
• We put a radio tag on young
crows (without ourselves
wearing a mask) whose
parents scold the dangerous
mask
• While under parental care,
the young observe their
parents scold the dangerous
mask
• Independent of parental
care, the young crow scolds
the dangerous mask
110. The First „Readable Bird‟
Mecklenberg Pfeiflstorch
(Arrow Stork of Mecklenbierg)
David P. Craig
– Department of Biology, Willamette University, Salem, OR USA
Norse mythology Odin was the primary god, and his familiars were the two ravens Hugin and Munin, who brought him news of both earth and heaven. The Germans referred to Odin as Wotan and thus in German the raven may be referred to as WotansvogelHuginn (thought) and Muninn (memory) were the twin ravens thatserved Odin, whispering in his ear all that they had learned during the day.Bryn Terfel combines 80s glam and pirate chic as Wotan in Wagner's "Das Rheingold."
Norse mythology Odin was the primary god, and his familiars were the two ravens Hugin and Munin, who brought him news of both earth and heaven. The Germans referred to Odin as Wotan and thus in German the raven may be referred to as WotansvogelHuginn (thought) and Muninn (memory) were the twin ravens thatserved Odin, whispering in his ear all that they had learned during the day.Bryn Terfel combines 80s glam and pirate chic as Wotan in Wagner's "Das Rheingold."