Monday

Tail Pulling: Crows (meaning Corvus, not just the crows with the common name “crow”) pull tails. It’s like they can’t help themselves. If there is a tail, it must be pulled.

Magpies in the genus Pica (the holarctic magpies) do this behavior as well, which is impressive, considering how much smaller they are. One advantage they have is a small size that lets them get off the ground and away from their target a lot quicker.

Usually when you see this behavior it’s in the context of food. A crow or magpie will pull another animal’s tail in order to distract it from it’s food and steal it (this sometimes occurs alone or in teams).

The behavior appears to be innate. By teasing larger animals, corvids can steal scraps of their food, chase them away from a tasty carcass, or simply test their aggression.

But honestly? Maybe they just do it for fun, or simply can’t help their natural inclination for causing trouble. Just another reason to love corvids ;)
(Corvidblog)




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Responses to "Ravens and Crows Teasing Other Animals By Pulling Their Tails"

  1. Anonymous says:

    Love it!!!

  2. Unknown says:

    Intelligence and tolerance from both species :D

  3. You can't look at this and say other species don't have a sense of humour :-)

  4. Misha says:

    lol that is too cute.. though done for reason, still they make great court jesters :D

  5. Anonymous says:

    Maybe they just want nesting material, but it's still funny

  6. CHANCE says:

    It started with a smile, but by the end, was a full-on laugh. Beautifully endearing.

  7. Unknown says:

    I am so impressed by their deliberate teasing!

  8. Morgana says:

    They are warning them that they are there too, to have their share, my sweet beggars

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