AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

Strategies of mussel dropping by Carrion Crows Corvus c. corone

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1990
Authors:Whiteley, JD, Pritchard, JS, Slater, PJB
Journal:Bird Study
Volume:37
Issue:1
Date Published:1990
ISBN Number:0006-3657
Keywords:Corone, Corone corone, Corvidae, Corvus, Corvus cornix, Corvus corone, Corvus corone corone
Abstract:Carrion crows were observed dropping mussels on the mussel beds and sand of the Eden Estuary, Fife, and on the runway at the neighbouring Leuchars airfield. Crows tended to choose the largest mussels and to drop them on hard surfaces from heights which minimized the total climbing flight required to break them. They seldom gave up, in keeping with an experiment showing that the chance of a mussel breaking open does not change with the number of times it is dropped. While mussels are especially likely to break if dropped on harder surfaces, an advantage of dropping them on the mussel beds is that this may break other mussels as well as the one that is dropped.Carrion crows were observed dropping mussels on the mussel beds and sand of the Eden Estuary, Fife, and on the runway at the neighbouring Leuchars airfield. Crows tended to choose the largest mussels and to drop them on hard surfaces from heights which minimized the total climbing flight required to break them. They seldom gave up, in keeping with an experiment showing that the chance of a mussel breaking open does not change with the number of times it is dropped. While mussels are especially likely to break if dropped on harder surfaces, an advantage of dropping them on the mussel beds is that this may break other mussels as well as the one that is dropped.
URL:http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00063659009477031
Short Title:Bird Study
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith