Crows fashion hooks from wire for food

Science
Crows fashion hooks from wire for food

New Caledonian crows astound scientists by bending wire into hooks to snag hard-to-reach food, showcasing remarkable problem-solving intelligence and challenging views on animal cognition.

New Caledonian crows display remarkable intelligence by spontaneously bending wire into hooks to retrieve food. In a 2002 experiment, a crow named Betty famously fashioned a hook on her first try to snag a treat from a tube. This wasn't learned behavior but a novel solution, showcasing insight and planning rarely seen outside primates. Their ability to modify tools suggests complex causal reasoning.

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