Clever Corvids: latest viewpoints: (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, May 26, 2025, 00:22 (34 days ago) @ David Turell

Amazing degree of consciousness And complex conceptualization:

https://phys.org/news/2025-05-philosophers-scientists-collaborate-consciousness-percept...

:Corvids' eyes have incredibly sharp resolution that allows them to navigate while flying at high speeds and to find potential sources of food. Their hearing is excellent, perhaps unsurprising for songbirds, allowing them to even distinguish reliable from unreliable group members by assessing and remembering their alert calls.

"They also have a good sense of smell, which they use to help them find nuts and other food they have hidden. Unfortunately, we do not know how their smell compares to a lot of other animals, because there are not enough studies on corvids' sense of smell yet.

"Corvids show cognitive biases, similar to humans. They have negative moods and show signs of pessimism after observing similar states in others.

"But they also show positive moods after successfully using tools—just like humans. And they can also show neophobia—wariness of new objects.

"Even if you come with treats to give them, corvids are reluctant to fly close to someone they haven't met before, but are confident with humans they know well—another common human trait.

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"Perhaps their consciousness is more like split-brain human patients who have had their corpus callosum cut to reduce the effects of seizures. When two pictures are presented in their respective left and right visual fields, these people will draw what they see on the left side with their left hand, whereas they will verbally describe what is on the right, giving the appearance of two selves in one body.

"Corvids show remarkable abilities in their sense of self across time. Because they often hide food (scientists call this caching), they can remember not just where they hid food, but also what kind of food it was and how long ago they hid it—which is relevant for more perishable foods such as insects, compared to longer-lasting nuts.

"Here their memory far outstrips our own or, for that matter, most other animals when it comes to hiding objects, with some corvids caching and remembering over a thousand food items in a month for later consumption. No human would be able to remember that many hiding spots.

"Corvids can even plan, collecting and storing a tool such as a spoon for future use.

"They not only recognize themselves in mirrors, but also understand other minds. Research has shown corvids go back to remove cached food and hide it elsewhere if they know they have been observed—but only if they have stolen from others in the past.

"Male jays will watch the feeding behavior of a female they want to court, so they can bring their preferred food. Even more solitary corvids, such as ravens, seem to have well-developed social skills, which scientists used to think were largely restricted to mammals.

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"...we believe that there is scientific evidence for rich conscious experiences in corvids. For most species, it is a lack of research, not a lack of capacity, that keeps us silent on what their subjective experiences are like.

"This research also has implications for corvid welfare. Understanding what the world is like for an animal means understanding what feels good and bad for them. Their good memories may mean they suffer longer from a negative experience, neophobia will mean novel objects should be introduced slowly, and their social abilities mean they should be housed in groups. Giving them tools could allow them enriching experiences."

Comment: more clever than ever. They may not be conscious like we are but they have their own degree of it.