The hooded crow that waits for the traffic light - and its secrets in the city
It distinguishes between humans, excels at problem-solving, and even uses traffic to obtain food. What makes the hooded crow one of the most successful animals in the urban environment? Let's find out.
Few animals have adapted so successfully to life alongside humans. One of them is the hooded crow, which lives in cities, parks, and agricultural areas, demonstrating impressive learning abilities, remembering places and people, and knowing how to find creative solutions even in the changing urban environment. Kimberly Hene, a doctoral student in Dr. Yosef Kiat's laboratory at the School of Zoology at Tel Aviv University, tells us about one of the smartest animals in Israel, new discoveries regarding its life in the city, and explains how we can all help.
Where can the hooded crow be found?
"The hooded crow is common almost throughout Israel — in cities, parks, agricultural areas, and open spaces. In the world, it is found mainly in Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. It is not considered an endangered species, and one of its prominent traits is its successful adaptation to life alongside humans," notes Hene.
How did the hooded crow adapt to the city?
"The hooded crow finds food, nesting places, and sometimes relative protection from predators in the urban environment. On the other hand, food of human origin, pollution, noise, and artificial lighting can negatively affect its physical condition, behavior, and seasonal processes such as reproduction, nesting, and molting. An interesting example: it places nuts at an intersection when the traffic light is red, understanding that when the light turns green, the vehicles will crack the nuts for it."
Social intelligence and behavior
"This is a very smart animal capable of learning from experience, adapting its behavior to new situations, solving complex problems, remembering places, and even recognizing humans. Furthermore, it lives in a complex social system where there are connections between individuals, cooperation, and also struggles for status and resources. There are large behavioral differences between the individuals themselves: there are bolder and more curious crows, and in contrast, others are cautious and timid."
Threats and the climate crisis
"The hooded crow can be harmed by unintentional poisoning as a result of pest control, entanglement in waste, collisions with vehicles, and intentional harm by humans. At the same time, it is considered an invasive species: its populations are growing due to its ability to benefit from human activity. It even poses a significant threat to other animals that share its habitat."
"We still do not have enough information about the direct impact of the climate crisis. However, rising temperatures, heat waves, and changes in precipitation amounts could affect food availability, its reproductive success, and the survival of the chicks."
Research and citizen science
"In my research, which is conducted under the guidance of Dr. Yosef Kiat, I am studying the molting of the hooded crow and the connection of the feather renewal process to the crows' behavior. In addition, we are checking how crows move in the urban space. We catch the crows safely, mark them with two rings, and perform measurements. After that, they are released back into nature, and the rings allow us to identify them in repeated observations. We also rely on reports from residents."
"One of the things that surprised us the most was discovered thanks to reports from residents of Gush Dan. We saw that there are crows that remain for a long time in a very fixed living area, for example, near the same cafe. In contrast, other crows were documented in places relatively far from each other — even moving from one city to another. These reports help us understand how much movement patterns in the urban space can vary from crow to crow."
"Another question that intrigues us is whether the crow's external appearance, and in particular the condition of its feathers, affects social relationships. I am trying to understand whether crows whose feathers are new, intact, and less worn gain a higher status in the group and are more successful in reproduction."
How can the public help?
"If you have encountered a marked crow, you can help us by sending a report including the observation location and date, and if possible, also a photo where you can see the yellow ring and the identification code. It is important to photograph from a distance and not to approach the crow or disturb it. Reports can be sent via email to crowstau@gmail.com or via Instagram to tau_crows."
