BETA
Chapter 1
The rise of the feather brains
Chapter 2
Inside the crow's toolkit
Chapter 3
The dark legend of the crow
Chapter 4
Myth vs. reality around the world
Ch 1 · The rise of the feather brains
mankai Match tools and behaviors to discover how crows evolved their intelligence and inspired famous proverbs.
mankai Fossil and genetic evidence reveals how these adaptable birds crossed island chains to colonize Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Quiz
Approximately how many millions of years ago did the first ancestors of the crow family emerge?
Quiz
In which geographic region did the ancestors of modern crows and other corvids first evolve around 30 million years ago?
mankai Ten million years of island hopping enabled crows to dominate almost every continent.
Quiz
Which biogeographical boundary did early crows cross to travel from Australasia into mainland Asia?
Fun Fact
Crow evolution: Crows are actually songbirds, making them the largest and most complex vocalizers in the entire songbird suborder.
Quiz
During which geological epoch did crows survive intense climate shifts by scavenging large mammal carcasses?
Quiz
What dietary strategy helped crows survive the harsh ice ages while specialized birds went extinct?
Glossary
corvid (noun)
Any bird of the family Corvidae, which includes crows, ravens, jays, and magpies. These birds evolved exceptionally large brains relative to their body size during the Miocene epoch.
Any bird of the family Corvidae, which includes crows, ravens, jays, and magpies. These birds evolved exceptionally large brains relative to their body size during the Miocene epoch.
Quiz
How many millions of years ago did crows and ravens split into distinct genetic branches?