Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Raven Funeral

From the Fairbanks Daily News Miner:
FAIRBANKS — Ravens have feelings, too, at least judging from an eerie scene Tuesday morning on Minnie Street in east Fairbanks.

After two ravens roosting on top of a power transformer were electrocuted, hundreds of ravens showed up within a minute or two and started silently circling overhead and perching in nearby trees.

Ravens and crows are truly intelligent. I remember hearing about a crow that was able to make tools from wire.I also remember a story about crows who rejoined their parents after their companions were killed off by west nile virus - showing that social structure and companionship is needed by animals as well .

Read the rest of the news story here.

1 comment:

Ishmael said...

I used to despise birds (mostly for pooping on my car and the ear-wretching squawking) but my mind started to change when I saw how smart crows (and later ravens) were. I saw sea gulls and pigeons trying to break up dried crusts of bread behind the Queen Anne QFC in Seattle to eat them, while the crows would pick up a big, crusty piece and fly to a nearby flat rooftop where they'd soak them in the puddles to make them easier to eat.