Mammals recognize humans, we know, but so does the crow

New Scientist (http://www.newscientist.com, 15 September 2012) reported that wild crows remember human faces in the same way that mammals do. We’ve known for a long time that mammals, such as marsupials, rodents, primates, whales, elephants, horses, and dogs, recognize and respond to people. Now scientists maintain that crows can too.

Scientists at the University of Washington in Seattle, America, have shown that crows can distinguish human faces and remember how they were treated by humans. Scientists wore latex masks as they captured 12 wild American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos). The crows associated the captor’s masks with this traumatic experience. While in captivity, the crows were fed and cared for by people wearing a different mask from those who captured them.

After four weeks, the researchers scanned images of the captured crows’ brains to monitor their brain patterns. They tested the crow’s brain patterns whenever they were with people with “capture” masks and with “feeding” masks.

People feeding the crows with “feeder masks” led to brain activity in the crows that were involved with motivation and reward. When the crows were faced with people in “capture” masks, their brains registered fear – leading scientists to believe that the crows remembered the faces of their captors. Scientists also maintained that the crows did not mind humans being in their habitat, but they needed to keep a close eye on what humans did – and how they reacted with the crows.

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