Rooks’ intelligence research in Britain

This video is called Rooks at the Tehidy Woods Rookery; in Cornwall.

From Wildlife Extra:

Are rooks one of our most intelligent birds? A survey has just been launched to find out

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) are asking the general public to help them discover just how intelligent rooks are.

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 them in the wild, and especially in gardens.

Anecdotal evidence sugests 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, but the BTO want to know more.

To achieve this the BTO is running a Garden Rook Survey over next six months from 1 July till 31 December.

They will be asking the people to monitor the rooks in their garden and look at their feeding, caching, tolerance, object play, social and vocalisation skills.

Clare 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 so if you get rooks in your garden, whether it’s regularly or once in a while, we need your help.”

Click HERE to find out more.