KAAGE

CROW is called as "Kaage" in Kannada and "Kaaka" in Samskrita, the name Samskrita may be by the sound the CROW produces "Kaa Kaa" ....very simple infact ;-)We are seeing this bird in almost every city(even in most affected by pollution),town,village so nobody talks about this as they talk about the birds endangred or extinct. May be always people want what they can not get (?) . But it is really amazing that this bird has survived a lot of changes and challenges. So this can be considered most intelligent bird of thw world. No wonder the story we read in our childhood about a crow getting water at the bottom of the jug by putting stones in to the jug .I think out ancestors also felt Crow as the intelligent bird.While s reading a book 'Pakshi Prapancha ' (in Kannda ...Field Guide for birdwatchers) came across an interesting fact about this crow . In Japan in some university campus crows put the walnut on a road, and wait for a car passing over the shell, and eat the broken walnut.....is it not great ?? Even in the photo attached you can that crow is trying drink wanter from a fountain which looks like a bird , note that it is scared from this but analysed that it is just a fountain & drinking water from it .Here is mail posted on Bangalore Bird wathcers's group about Crow's intelligence=================================================Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 04:32:53 +0000 (GMT) From: "Dr. Kumar Arunachalam" <ixedoc@yahoo.co.in>Subject: Crows: Intelligence and Improvisation I have been observing common crows (C. splendens) for years now, and am fairly confident that, these birds have mastered many techniques and methods, especially when it comes to nesting behavior. (A) The selection of twigs for nest material is an elaborate, pick, reject, pick, choose exercise. Though I am unable to hazard any grounds for choice of twigs, I have seen that when the crow select any stick (broom stick in this case), which perhaps is too long for its needs - it actually uses one of its feet to steady the stick, and using its beak levers the material up to snap it into a more convenient dimension. Application of these simple biomechanical and physical principles, makes the crow quite unique in its intelligence quotient. (B) It invariably flies to its nest site, no matter where it takes off from, is a predetermined route. The approach is never random, or even a short cut. It is always, from point any locale, ‘x’, to fixed points ‘a’ and ‘b’ en route to nest site. (C) I, today spotted a crow, trying to maneuver a long twig into its chosen sitebetween some mesh of steel girders below a tall asbestos roof. The bird struggled to reach its nest, despite many attempts, with the stick held across its beak: the gap between the meshwork of girders was too tiny for the stick to be ferried across transversely. The bird then lifted its head up, realigned the stick, holding it not exactly halfway of its length, but a askew, with beak gripping the twig at point one fourth of its length. This allowed the crow to thread the long twig into the confined space easily. The re-adjustment and re-alignment of stick grip-position, demonstrates that this reviled bird, is gifted with intelligence.============================================Epilog=======......................even if know that bird is intelligent & is survived so many challenges we do not talk this bird may be because it not so "GOOD LOOKING" or may its voice is very "NOT SO NICE". Does it mean we(humans) appreciate the things which is good looking & nice to hear ,but not about their capacity/intelligence. So does it mean that for human being to be popular you need to be good looking ;-)