zsl-edge-of-existence:The Hawaiian crow is one of only two bird species in the world known to sponta
zsl-edge-of-existence:The Hawaiian crow is one of only two bird species in the world known to spontaneously use tools. Previously, the only bird known to do so was the New Caledonian crow, but researchers noticed that the two species were extremely similar and decided to test the captive population of Hawaiian crows. Meat was hidden in holes drilled into logs, and the crows were provided with sticks. Over three-quarters of the birds, including 93% of the adults, proceeded to pick up the sticks and use them to pry the meat out of the holes. The crows would reject inappropriate sticks for the job and even use other twigs to create new tools. Most of the birds extracted the meat in less than a minute. To make sure that the younger birds weren’t imitating the adults, seven chicks were raised in isolation, and they still learned to use tools. This means that tool-using behaviour is instinctive and natural within this species, which is exceedingly unusual. -- source link