Blog
Save
Email
Print
ShareBeyond croaking, "Nevermore," what exactly do ravens do all day? Bernd Heinrich, biology professor at the University of Vermont and author of Ravens in Winter, has spent more than a decade learning the secrets of these giants of the crow family.
See also:
He has observed startlingly complex activities among ravens, including strong pair-bonding, use of tools, elaborate vocal communication, and even play.
Ravens are just plain smart, and we can see much of ourselves in their behavior.
They seem to be affectionate, cranky, joyful, greedy, and competitive, just like us.
And in Mind of the Raven, Heinrich makes no bones about attributing emotions and intellect to Corvus corax--just not the kind we humans can understand.
He mostly catalogs their behaviors in the manner of a respectful anthropologist, although a few moments of proud papa show through when he describes the pet ravens he hand-raised to adulthood.
Heinrich spends hundreds of loving hours feeding roadkill fragments to endlessly hungry raven chicks, and cold days in blinds watching wild ravens squabble and frolic.
For more information about the title Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds (P.S.), read the full description at Amazon.com, or see the following related books:
In the Company of Crows and Ravens — “Crows and people share similar traits and social strategies. To a surprising extent, to know the crow is to know ourselves.”—from ... > read more
The Loved Dog: The Playful, Nonaggressive Way to Teach Your Dog Good Behavior — Every dog owner must make a choice: Do you want a fearful and submissive pet, or do you want a happy, joyful, and well-mannered member of the ... > read more
The Balance Within: The Science Connecting Health and Emotions — Since ancient times humans have felt intuitively that emotions and health are linked. But without compelling evidence, it has been impossible to say ... > read more
Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series) — The decline of cheap oil is inspiring increasing numbers of North Americans to achieve some measure of backyard food self-sufficiency. In hard times, ... > read moreRecommend this page on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:
Other bookmarking and sharing tools:
more 