"A verdant park, an idyllic day. But something has gone terribly wrong. A passerby discovers it first - and lets out a piercing call. Within seconds, everyone in earshot rushes to the scene. It's mayhem... or so it seems. Crows are intelligent, and super chatty. They watch out for one another within tight-knit groups. As adults it's pretty rare for crows to be killed. So when one dies the others notice. Are they just scared? Or is something deeper going on."
"Kaeli Swift, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington, set up an experiment to find out. She visits a park in Seattle for a few days, leaving piles of peanuts for the crows. Then one day... Swift shows up looking very different. Wearing a mask and a wig, she carries a dead taxidermied crow The first one that sees her sounds the alarm. The flock erupts in protest The crows seem to wail and scold her and the dead bird."
A researcher fed crows peanuts in a Seattle park to build familiarity. On one visit the researcher arrived wearing a mask and wig and carrying a dead taxidermied crow. The first crow sounded an alarm and the flock erupted, wailing and scolding the masked person and the dead bird. The gatherings served as noisy opportunities for crows to learn about local dangers while staying within the safety of the group. When the researcher returned unmasked, crows approached more slowly and remained wary. When the masked appearance recurred, crows reacted aggressively even without the dead crow. Pigeons showed little response.
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