Intelligent Birds: Pigeons and crows can memorize human face

Tempted to chase away or ill-treat a lonely bird, just for the heck of it? Don’t! Be wary of birds like pigeons and crows, especially the crows, as these birds have amazing memory when it comes to remembering human faces and what’s worse? These birds (again, especially, the crows) have a tendency to hold long standing grudges against people whom they consider a threat. Misbehave with one bird and you’ll have a gang full of enemies. Researchers have recently found that when one bird in a group considers you a potential threat, the whole group gangs against you. As for the pigeons, generally milder by nature, they try to keep away from the miscreants or run away from them, remembering them from their past experience. The crows, however, are angrier birds and they often react by yelling at people whom, they consider a threat or worse- bringing in their entire mob to make things even. Never mess with these birds, as once they start hating you, you won’t be able to deter their stand against you!

Pigeon and crow

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Pigeons and Crows

Pigeons and crows never forget a face

Pigeon:

The taxonomic Columbidae family, belonging to Columba genus, includes mainly pigeons and doves. Though , pigeons are not taxonomically very different from doves, the term ‘dove’ is usually used to refer to their smaller and more delicate counterparts. On the whole, the family includes around 300 species of birds- most of them inhabiting the tropical parts of the world.

Pigeons are urban dwellers, derived form the Rock Dove family. These city pigeons are also called feral pigeons. They have stout bodies, with body size ranging from large to medium. These birds are skilled fliers, as they have strong muscles in their wings. Pigeons have inhabited and colonized island groups in Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.

Crow:

Crows are considered very intelligent birds, belonging to Corvus genus and family Corvidae. They are basically from Asia, evolving from the corvid stock. A gang of crows is commonly referred to as a flock. They are generally black or grey in color, with a black beak and black legs. Commonly, the length of their stout bodies range from 20-30 cm. Their wing size is double their body size, making them excellent fliers. They inhabit hilly areas, farms and found most commonly in cities. These omnivorous and aggressive birds eat almost everything edible and sometimes stuff that is not edible too!

Interesting characteristics

Pigeon:

• Pigeon’s poop was considered an excellent fertilizer in the 16th, 17th 18th centuries. It was considered so valuable that guards were stationed to protect poop-stealing from the pigeon houses.
• Pigeons were used to carry messages across enemy borders and thus saved numerous lives during world wars. In fact, pigeons were honored by British and French governments, on account of their service as war-time messengers.
• These birds are considered to be the earliest form of messengers. News, invitations and letters were exchanged by individuals and kingdoms through pigeons.
• Pigeons are also considered as religious symbols and are given a lot of respect by certain societies.
• Conducting Pigeon races is an age-old practice. Racing pigeons were worth huge sums of money.
• Pigeons manage to return home even if you leave them hundreds of miles away from there. Researchers say that pigeons navigate using earth’s magnetic field and memorizing landmarks.
• Passenger pigeon was one of the largest species of pigeons that became extinct because of the spreading of human habitat.

Some Facts About Pigeon

• Crows have amazing sense of adaptability. They can adapt to any situation, depending upon the circumstances.
• They are considered bad omen by some cultures and represent a cult and had been a source of resentment for humans, for ages.
• They have amazing ability for communication and can mimic a variety of sounds. When present it groups, they become a sort of nuisance.
• Crows are very angry, aggressive creatures. When they are disturbed, they might restore to violent means like clawing.
• The first crow was spotted in Oceania, Australia, around 17 million years ago and had been known to be thriving ever since.
• Crows are the only birds that are known to use certain ‘tools’ while trying to eat food.
• They are considered to be the most intelligent birds in the world. They are sly, tricky and wicked birds.
• Crows are carriers of West Nile virus. This virus was first introduced in the US by these birds.
• The brain to body ratio of crows is the largest among all the birds.

Some Facts About Crow