People power: new survey launches to learn more about the intelligence of our garden Rooks
Rook, image: John Harding/BTO
There have been studies of intelligence levels in Rooks whilst in captivity but very little has been done in the wild. Using citizen scientists in our own gardens, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) wants our help in finding out just how intelligent this species are with the launch of the new Garden Rook Survey.
If you have ever watched Crows or Jackdaws in your garden, you’ll know that they are very clever birds. However, did you know that Rooks have been shown to be one of the most astute members of the corvid family? Studies done with Rooks in the lab have shown that they are extremely intelligent and able to solve complex puzzles using objects and teamwork. However, apart from their social behaviour, little is known about the behaviour of Rooks in the wild, and especially in gardens.
Gardens provide the perfect opportunity to study the behaviour of Rooks as there are new problems for them to solve, such as how to feed from bird feeders. Anecdotal evidence shows that Rooks can quickly learn to how to unhook feeders in order to drop them on the ground, or how to pull up food dangling by a string with their feet. The BTO Garden Rook Survey will be building on previous studies and will be looking at a range of behaviours including feeding, social and object manipulation to try to learn more about how common these behaviours are in the wild. There might even be some all-new discoveries! All that is needed to take part is a garden that is visited by Rooks.
Claire Simm, the Garden Rook Survey organiser said: "This is going to be a really exciting survey, learning about what Rooks do in gardens across the country. We can’t find this out without the public though! If you get Rooks in your garden, whether it’s regularly or once in a while, we need your help!’
The survey take's place from 1 July right through to 31 December 2014 and literally, anyone can take part - you just need a garden frequented by Rooks - but the more the merrier. For more information about the BTO Garden Rook Survey or to download the instructions on how to take part, visit www.bto.org/rooksurvey.
If you have ever watched Crows or Jackdaws in your garden, you’ll know that they are very clever birds. However, did you know that Rooks have been shown to be one of the most astute members of the corvid family? Studies done with Rooks in the lab have shown that they are extremely intelligent and able to solve complex puzzles using objects and teamwork. However, apart from their social behaviour, little is known about the behaviour of Rooks in the wild, and especially in gardens.
Gardens provide the perfect opportunity to study the behaviour of Rooks as there are new problems for them to solve, such as how to feed from bird feeders. Anecdotal evidence shows that Rooks can quickly learn to how to unhook feeders in order to drop them on the ground, or how to pull up food dangling by a string with their feet. The BTO Garden Rook Survey will be building on previous studies and will be looking at a range of behaviours including feeding, social and object manipulation to try to learn more about how common these behaviours are in the wild. There might even be some all-new discoveries! All that is needed to take part is a garden that is visited by Rooks.
Claire Simm, the Garden Rook Survey organiser said: "This is going to be a really exciting survey, learning about what Rooks do in gardens across the country. We can’t find this out without the public though! If you get Rooks in your garden, whether it’s regularly or once in a while, we need your help!’
The survey take's place from 1 July right through to 31 December 2014 and literally, anyone can take part - you just need a garden frequented by Rooks - but the more the merrier. For more information about the BTO Garden Rook Survey or to download the instructions on how to take part, visit www.bto.org/rooksurvey.
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