Clever bird proves he's no rookie; SCIENCE.Byline: CLAIRE BRENNAN THIS canny rook rook, term used for a common Eurasian bird (genus Corvus) of the family Corvidae (Crow family), smaller than the American crow. The jackdaw is a European species of the genus. Rooks nest in large colonies, whence the term rookery. has proved he is definitely no bird brain. Scientists discovered the animal, a member of the crow family, can defy physics by using stones to raise the level of water in containers. The amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. discovery mirrors Aesop's fable the Crow And The Pitcher. In it a bird used stones to reach drops of water at the bottom of a bucket. The results of the research by Cambridge University Cambridge University, at Cambridge, England, one of the oldest English-language universities in the world. Originating in the early 12th cent. (legend places its origin even earlier than that of Oxford Univ. appears in the journal Current Biology. The four birds were each given a worm floating just out of reach on the surface of water in a vertical tube. They even appeared to estimate how many pebbles they would need. A research spokesman said: "Corvids are remarkably intelligent and in many ways rival the great apes in their physical intelligence and ability to solve problems." CAPTION(S): STONE ME Smart animal |
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