SEATTLE—
Swarms of crows are taking over Western Washington and the birds are a lot more intelligent than you might think.At the University of Washington campus, everywhere you look there seems to be a murder of crows. A "murder" being the term used to describe a group or 'flock' of crows. Professor John Marzluff has been studying them for 30 years and has discovered the birds have the ability to recognize human faces.
"They have very large brains for their body size that are on the same parallel as apes and monkeys," says Marzluff.
Marzluff's work is being highlighted in a documentary "A Murder of Crows" airing October 11, 2009 on CBC. Marzluff explains he and his team used masks to test the bird's intelligence. His team members wore six different masks and captured and tagged the crows with color coded bands. Marzluff says the birds felt threatened, and when they saw those same masks on campus at a later time, the birds swooped and attacked.
"They were very aggressive. They would give harsh vocalizations and dive at us follow us across campus," says Marzluff.
The professor says the biggest crow roost in our area is at the Kenmore Park-n-Ride. Another hot spot is Freeway Park downtown.
So how can you avoid being swooped? Researchers say most of the time you are walking too close to a crow's nest, so try a different route, or use an umbrella so you don't get pecked. For more information, go to www.cbc.ca/documentaries/natureofthings/2009/murderofcrows.
