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More after the show.
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.
Swift calls these crow funerals, though they’re not the solemn memorials
we put on for our dead.
She thinks these noisy gatherings are opportunities for crows to learn about the dangers
that surround them, within the safety of the group.
When an unmasked Swift returns to the park the next week with more tasty peanuts, the
crows are quiet and wary.
They seem to have learned there’s something hazardous about this place.
Still, they eat the peanuts.
But they take longer to approach and seem to be much more suspicious.
And when Swift returns wearing the mask?
They lose it.
Even without the dead crow, they still see her as a threat.
Compare that to these pigeons.
They barely seem to register her holding their deceased comrade.
That’s how most creatures react.
Just a few, like dolphins, elephants and crows react strongly to seeing one of their own
who’s died.
Even weeks later the crows cause a ruckus when they see the mask.
Some never even saw her with the dead crow but they still learned to associate her
with danger.
It’s called social learning -- gaining new information by observing and imitating others.
We’re always looking to learn from one another too… to avoid the mistakes that lead others
to meet their untimely end.
Hey there.
We love making Deep Look, and if you love it too, guess what - Deep Look is on Patreon!
Patreon lets you support us each month, so we can do more and better stuff for you.
Like chats with producers and scientists, and extra episodes in faraway lands.
You'll be invited to our members-only community, where you can give us your story ideas and
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So click on the Patreon link here or in the description to sign up.
See you there!