Bird Geniuses:The Smart Crows鸟界天才：聪明的乌鸦

What is the smartest animal on the planet？ Many people think of elephants and their incredible memories or dolphins with their large， complex brains. One of the most surprisingly clever animals is a black bird seen almost everywhere in the world—the crow. The birds’ sophisticated brains are capable of performing amazing feats of memory and problem-solving.

地球上什么动物最聪明呢？很多人会想到大象和它们绝佳的记忆力，或是拥有庞大、复杂大脑的海豚。最令人惊奇的聪明动物之一是世界上几乎随处可见的黑色鸟类——乌鸦。这种鸟精密的大脑能够展现惊人的记忆力和解决问题的能力。

For one thing， crows can tell us apart and even remember their interactions with us. In one experiment， a scientist wore a caveman mask before trapping some crows to put bands on their legs. The crows were not pleased with being trapped， and after being released， they made loud， harsh sounds at the person in the mask. Over several years， anyone in a caveman mask triggered hostile responses from crows， whether they were previously captured or not. This showed that crows not only have excellent memory and facial recognition， but they can also pass on information to other members of their group.

首先，乌鸦可以辨别我们，甚至会记得与我们的互动。在一项实验中，一位科学家戴上穴居人面具，然后捕捉一些乌鸦，在它们的腿上绑上带子。那些乌鸦不喜欢被困住，在被释放后，它们对戴着面具的人发出大声且刺耳的声音。在几年里，任何戴着穴居人面具的人都会引发乌鸦的敌意反应，无论它们之前有没有被捕捉过都一样。这表明乌鸦不仅具有出色的记忆力和脸部识别能力，还能将信息传递给群体的其他成员。

The ways crows solve problems have also fascinated researchers. In Japan and California， the US， crows have been observed reading traffic signals and dropping nuts on the road during red lights. After the light turns green and cars run the nuts over， the crows collect the cracked nuts during the following red light. New Caledonian crows also make and use hooks to get insects out of small holes. Another study reveals this species of crow possesses the ability to construct complex tools by using smaller components. This capacity is mainly seen in apes and humans， making the crow’s behavior particularly exceptional.

乌鸦解决问题的方式也深深吸引了研究人员。在日本和美国加利福尼亚州，有人观察到乌鸦看得懂交通信号灯并会在红灯时把坚果丢在道路上。在信号灯转绿、汽车碾过坚果后，那些乌鸦会在下一次亮红灯期间搜集裂开的坚果。新喀鸦还会制作并使用钩子将昆虫从小洞中取出。另一项研究显示，这种乌鸦能够利用较小的零件组建出复杂的工具。这种能力主要见于猿类和人类身上，这使得这种乌鸦的行为格外不凡。

Next time you see a flock of crows， consider their amazing brains. It may even be in your interest to make friends with these clever black birds.

下次你再看到一群乌鸦时，想想它们令人叹为观止的大脑。与这些聪明的黑色小鸟交朋友甚至可能对你有益处。

Word Bank

incredible" adj. 极好的；极大的

sophisticated" adj. 复杂巧妙的；精密的

component" n. 组成部分；成分；部件

a flock of" 一大群