- A study reveals that New Caledonian crows enjoy using tools to complete tasks.
- The study also shows the birds experience a mood boost when they get a little handy.
Crows: They're just like us. The black birds like to figure out ways to accomplish tasks and have a good time putting their curiosity and creativity to work.
A new study published in Current Biology shows that New Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides) "behave optimistically after using tools."
Crows are naturally intelligent creatures. A 2018 Nature study found that crows native to the French territory of New Caledonia developed a more efficient method of foraging for food by creating hooked tools to increase the amount of food they were able to pull out of tight spaces, as shown here:
For this new study, researchers caught 15 of the wild crows and observed them within the confines of an aviary.
The scientists measured the crows' happiness and optimism by using the cognitive bias test, which gauges whether or not you perceive a glass as half-full (optimistic) or half-empty (pessimistic). But instead of using a glass of water, they used a box with a treat inside.
Researchers trained the crows to understand that the box on the right side of the table in front of them contained a bigger piece of meat than the box on the left. Each time, the crows would rush toward the right box to receive the reward. Meanwhile, they'd either take a long time to access the small reward on the left or completely ignore and not even bother to retrieve it.
According to researchers, the birds' quickness—or lack thereof—indicated their expectations: On average, each crow took about 25 seconds to find the small piece of meat on the left side of the table, and just four seconds to grab the larger prize.
Based on this, the researchers then placed the treat box in the middle of the table and deduced that the crows who approached the middle box quickly were optimistic and in good moods, while the slower crows expected the worst, thus taking their time when approaching the box.
After giving the crows access to "tools"—twigs, mostly—scientists once again placed the treat box in the middle of the table. The birds that were previously slow to approach the box were now curious about it and moved toward it much faster. But when the researchers replicated the same exact experience without the tools, the crows were pessimistic, sometimes not even going near the box despite the meat inside.
So just like you, crows are happier when they have tools in hand and tasks to complete. (The meat probably helps, too.) Maybe we should buy them a subscription to the magazine?