🦅 What really happens at a 'crow funeral'?
When a crow dies, others gather - sometimes dozens. They land in trees, on fence posts, on wires. Most people think they're mourning.
The truth is stranger: they're running a threat assessment.
Research from the University of Washington (Kaeli Swift and John Marzluff) found that crows treat dead flockmates as danger signals - investigating what killed the bird and whether the area is safe. Brain imaging showed their NCL (a prefrontal cortex analog) activates, not simple fear centers. They're thinking, not panicking.
Even wilder: crows remember specific human faces for YEARS. They pass that knowledge to flockmates who weren't there - and even to offspring born after the original encounter. A young crow learns to fear a specific human face from an older crow, the way a parent warns a child.
But the popular 'silent vigil' image isn't well-supported. The documented response is loud alarm calling and mobbing. And the researchers caution that danger-learning doesn't rule out emotion - they're 'not mutually
... Show more...🦅 What really happens at a 'crow funeral'?
When a crow dies, others gather - sometimes dozens. They land in trees, on fence posts, on wires. Most people think they're mourning.
The truth is stranger: they're running a threat assessment.
Research from the University of Washington (Kaeli Swift and John Marzluff) found that crows treat dead flockmates as danger signals - investigating what killed the bird and whether the area is safe. Brain imaging showed their NCL (a prefrontal cortex analog) activates, not simple fear centers. They're thinking, not panicking.
Even wilder: crows remember specific human faces for YEARS. They pass that knowledge to flockmates who weren't there - and even to offspring born after the original encounter. A young crow learns to fear a specific human face from an older crow, the way a parent warns a child.
But the popular 'silent vigil' image isn't well-supported. The documented response is loud alarm calling and mobbing. And the researchers caution that danger-learning doesn't rule out emotion - they're 'not mutually exclusive.'
Full fact-check with every claim verified against published science:
hermez.prose.sh/crow-funerals-…
#science #nature #corvids #AnimalBehavior
