Slog
News & ArtsFriday, January 13, 2012
Animals A Crow Roof Tubing
Posted by Charles Mudede on Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 8:11 AM
I'm impressed...
But this is what I don't get: How is crudely tubing down a roof more thrilling or stimulating than smoothly gliding through the air? The bird picks up the tube, and flies to another roof.
2
I feel stupid saying this, but I feel like this is the first solid proof I've seen that birds play, & my respect has shot right up.
5
That's not a crow. Not sure what it is, but that's not the coloration of a crow. Which is good--I worry about how smart crow are in the city.
It's novelty, Charles. If you flew all the time, you would rarely find it exhilarating.
It's novelty, Charles. If you flew all the time, you would rarely find it exhilarating.
8
@2, have you never been around a parrot, or noticed all the bird toys for sale at pet stores? Of course birds play.
13
@5, fruitbat, & Charles:
The bird in the video actually appears to be a Jackdaw, which technically is a member of the crow family.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackdaw
Birds in the crow family appear to be some of the brightest, along with members of the parrot family. In general, I think we've been underestimating the intelligence of animals. Part of our delusion of superiority I suppose.
The bird in the video actually appears to be a Jackdaw, which technically is a member of the crow family.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackdaw
Birds in the crow family appear to be some of the brightest, along with members of the parrot family. In general, I think we've been underestimating the intelligence of animals. Part of our delusion of superiority I suppose.
16
@12 Thanks for finding that. Thanks for the huge laugh, Charles. Think of all the time, effort, toys, kama sutra, and Savage letters portraying humans attempting to turn simple fucking into satori. We'd all love our jet-packs for the first week, and after that we'd be whining because there's no cup holder.
17
It seems to be eating something at the end of its run, starting at about at the 40 second mark. I wonder if it discovered insects or seeds under the snow and decided snowboarding was the quick way to get to it.
18
Except the bird isn't playing.
The ring contains some sort of food, which the bird is attempting to peck out -- a suet or seed ring, like many people have in their garden. This bird has absconded with the whole of the ring o' food and has s landed on what it believed to be a stable surface to get at the food, which it does by pecking at it.
But the act of pecking on the slippery surface dislodges the ring from the birds grasp, and the ring of food slips down the side of the roof. The bird follows the food until it stops and then continues pecking at it until it gets too cold. The :41 mark shows this best, where the bird spends a good ten seconds eating at the 'bottom' of the ride.
Once its feet get too cold from the snow, the bird takes the food-ring back up to the top of the roof again looking for a stable surface, but the roof is still slippery, and the process repeats until it finally gives up and goes off to find another roof.
The ring contains some sort of food, which the bird is attempting to peck out -- a suet or seed ring, like many people have in their garden. This bird has absconded with the whole of the ring o' food and has s landed on what it believed to be a stable surface to get at the food, which it does by pecking at it.
But the act of pecking on the slippery surface dislodges the ring from the birds grasp, and the ring of food slips down the side of the roof. The bird follows the food until it stops and then continues pecking at it until it gets too cold. The :41 mark shows this best, where the bird spends a good ten seconds eating at the 'bottom' of the ride.
Once its feet get too cold from the snow, the bird takes the food-ring back up to the top of the roof again looking for a stable surface, but the roof is still slippery, and the process repeats until it finally gives up and goes off to find another roof.
19
Snow day! I like the way it uses its beak as a pole to shove off. Part of me wonders if it thought the object it was tubing on was a food source; I have seen crows peck clams that way to open them. I have not seen them snow clam, though.
21
Somewhere a crow just commented on their tumblr: "Why do people sing like birds, when they can already talk?"
23
@22 Do you keep your gut in Al Capone's vault?
I'd like to add "heat generated friction melting suet" to 18's hypothesis, which would return intent to the use of the sloped surface.
I'd like to add "heat generated friction melting suet" to 18's hypothesis, which would return intent to the use of the sloped surface.
24
@18 (psbirch) you seem to have perceived what's really happening. Anyone who watches crows on a regular basis will recognize their feeding style. Others may think of it as play. The crow's just working on breakfast. ~
25
It looks to me like the bird is trying to stand on it at the top of the roof, and is getting frustrated that it keeps sliding down. But maybe that's just me.
27
@18, because God knows one characteristic or behavior is never adapted ad hoc to serve multiple functions. That would be EVIL-LUTION.
I'm not saying you're wrong, just stodgy.
I'm not saying you're wrong, just stodgy.
28
Eating, playing, whatever.. it's a great video! I can only imagine that if the crow didn't enjoy the sensation of sliding down that roof, it would take it's alleged food source somewhere more stable and have at it. It looks to me like it's enjoying the novel sensation of 'sledding'.
Thanks for posting, Charles!
Thanks for posting, Charles!
29
@16 - I will assume that the owner of the jet pack is free to seek out the love and comfort of other jet packs who do have cup holders and blame it entirely on the first jet pack who didn't even realize it was an issue.
I do love the bird sled.
I do love the bird sled.
30
It looks like a hooded crow. Not all crows are solid black! Crows are very smart and I believe that they are better communicators than humans! Research please!
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
Hating People Doesn't Make Them Thinner by Jen Graves
-
Los Angeles Gay Bar Bans Bachelorette Parties Until Marriage Equality Is Attained by David Schmader
-
Fill in the Blank by Grant Brissey
-
This Reminds Me of the Great Calculator Scare of the Late '70s/Early '80s by David Schmader
-
Idiot Tries to Defend Bigoted Anti-Gay-Marriage Preacher on Anderson Cooper by Paul Constant
-
Six Moms with Too Much Time on Their Hands and a Shitty Website Decide to Fight Gay Superheroes by Paul Constant
-
What the Hell Is Wrong With Seattle's Pride Parade? by Dominic Holden
-
The Saturday Morning News by Unpaid Intern
-
Why Mayor McGinn's Wife Canceled Her Family's Seattle Times Subscription by Eli Sanders
-
The Sunday Morning News by Unpaid Intern
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (31) RSS