Crows learn faces quickly and pass on their knowledge for generations.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Researchers at the University of Washington wore masks<\/a>\u00a0while they trapped, banded and released crows on the school\u2019s campus. The crows were not harmed, but the experience was nonetheless frightening for the birds. From then on, whenever a researcher donned the mask and walked across the campus, the crows raised an alarm. Once, the researcher even wore the mask upside down \u2013 and the crows\u00a0tilted their heads upside down<\/a>\u00a0to look at the face, then raised an alarm. When the researchers wore different masks, the crows\u00a0did not react<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, 17 years later, once or twice a year, the researchers continue to\u00a0wear the mask<\/a>\u00a0on campus. Perhaps not surprisingly, the crows react in the same way they did 17 years ago \u2013\u00a0dive bombing the researcher and making alarm calls<\/strong>. When young crows see the mask wearer for the first time, they observe the behavior of older crows and learn that the masked intruder is bad news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n