My last post was about a Scrub Jay hiding peanuts in our back yard. This post again features peanuts, but another Corvid, this time, an American Crow.
Again we start our story with a Crow picking up a peanut from a scattering of them left by a human neighbor.
But the Crow evidently doesn’t like the papery husk wrapping the peanut. I’ve had those things get stuck in my mouth, and I can’t say I blame the Crow. Come to think of it, I’m not sure how nimble a Crow’s tongue is — I’ve never seen one lick its lips — er — beak.
So it went looking for a good place to get the papery husk off.
The Crow wedged the peanut into a crack in the sidewalk, then held it steady with its toes.
Here’s a close-up of the Crow working the peanut.
It patiently works to get every bit of paper off. Notice that a bit of the husk is to the right, already off.
Success! This is one Crow that won’t have to worry about getting papery husks stuck to the top of its beak!
As with my previous post about the Scrub Jay, this shows episodic memory, pre-planning and tool use. And really demonstrates just how smart Corvids are.
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