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Ever since I learned that crows have intelligence on-par with human children I can't help but be fascinated whenever I see them.
I don't know if you actually have one little blackbird, but you're smart enough to conceivably have a train of thought and a conception of self. What do you think about the world? About me and other humans? About yourself? Do you have little corvid aspirations and dreams? Ornithologists have observed crows having social circles with behaviors resembling human cliques and social politics, do you have little corvid friends? Little corvid rivals? What do you do when you hang out?
The idea of these tiny little creatures wholly separate from humanity being smart enough to have their own inner lives and social structures is endlessly fascinating to me.
Analysis of crow neural activity has shown that crows are likely able to ponder their own knowledge. Not just know things, but think about the fact that they know things, how they know what they know, and how they can apply it to new situations. Crows have also been observed passing down knowledge. Not just normal "This is how you hunt" things every animal does either, unique specialized skills.
Are there crow philosophers? Crow historians? Do crows in certain regions have an oral tradition and history? Crows mate for life, are there crow families that have a long history of passing down specific unique skillsets valuable to the local crow population? Are there crow apprenticeships where a curious fledgling can learn these skills and become an honorary member of the family? Is corvid social status a thing?
They're fucking fascinating little birds.
@feedtunes That's really cool. Could you please point me towards the relevant papers?