Nature (TV Series) A Murder of Crows (2010) User Reviews

Surprisingly interesting considering it's a show about a seemingly ordinary pest!

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 31 July 2013]

Many years ago, I watched a documentary about some guy who designed unusual bird feeders in his yard. Over time, the guy kept changing them--adding various steps the birds would need to complete in order to get their food rewards. I was shocked how complicated these steps became...and how easily crows learned and adapted to these puzzles. Because I loved this film*, I decided I had to watch "Nature" when they aired the episode "A Murder of Crows"**. Despite the ominous title, the film is not about killing the birds but about their intelligence--and how, in some ways, crows are about the smarted creatures on the planet aside from people (or, at least MOST people).

This show discusses many crow behaviors that would seem to indicate that this animal is extremely intelligent. Of course, the show discusses puzzles and the use of tools like the older documentary, but it also shows that crows can recognize faces after more than two years, learn some tasks at about the same speed as small children, communicate with each other in many ways and to relay many different things, create FALSE food stashes in order to fool other birds that might be watching them, and many other surprising signs of great intelligence. All of this is exciting stuff--especially for animal behaviorists, psychologists, ethologists and other researchers. But, it also is great stuff for the average viewer, as I know my aunt saw this film and loved it--and she prodded me to watch it (which she didn't need to do very strongly)! Exciting and well worth your time.

*I have searched IMDb several times to try to find this show from about 1988 or so, but have had no success at all. If you might know more, please let me know. Thanks.

**Oddly, a group of crows is called a 'murder'. Why? I have no idea! We have pods, gaggles and schools of various animals...so why call a group of crows a murder?!

Very smart birds

[youAreCrazyDude · 10/10 · 3 March 2011]

Crows live everywhere in the world except Antarctica and are a part of myths and legends in many cultures. Their reputation in the stories varies from comical to frightening, godlike or wise, bringers of light and bringers of death, though a "murder" of crows refers to a flock of crows, and not to anything murderous, at all. They may be all these things, but what we are learning is that they are especially smart.

New research has shown that they are among the most intelligent animals on the planet. They use tools as only elephants and chimpanzees do, and recognize 250 distinct calls. One particular talent they have been discovered to possess is the ability to recognize individual human faces and pick them out of a crowd up to two years later – a trick that might make even Hitchcock shiver with fright.

They thrive wherever people live and have used their great intelligence to adapt again and again to a constantly changing world. Some memorize garbage truck routes, and follow the feast from day to day. Others drop nuts in the road and wait for passing cars to crack them open. And some build their nests from items we throw away – like wire clothes hangers.

These are social birds that mate for life and raise their young for up to five years. And they learn from each other's misfortunes. When one is killed in a farmer's field, it's not uncommon for them to change entire migratory patterns so that no crows fly over that field for as long as two years.

These birds might have a scary reputation, but what may prove to be the scariest thing about them is how much they know about us, and how little we know about them!

Amateurish and inaccurate.

[Innsmouth_Apprentice · 3/10 · 10 November 2014]

Murder of Crows starts out with various experimenters donning a crudely made rubber mask as they catch crows. They then release the crows, who afterwards naturally recognize the mask as a sign of danger no matter who wears it. The "scientists" then proudly announce that they've shown that "crows recognize individual faces".

Which they haven't. And it's pathetic that they can't even correctly formulate what they've done here. What they've shown - technically, factually, very simply - is that crows recognize a particular MASK.

If these people can't be precise, to a minimal level, about it is that they're doing in an experiment - they aren't scientists. Surely enough, crows CAN recognize faces. But you weren't doing a test as to that effect! You were testing out a mask, not a face.

I assure you that if you run a test as to whether crows can fundamentally distinguish between a human face and a piece of rubber - the crows will pass with flying colors. These are the same creatures that can distinguish between a real gun and a replica of that very gun.

My point is twofold. Firstly, crows have excellent and far-reaching recognition abilities. They'll recognize various trivial things as a part of their struggle for survival. This has been known for a long time, and demonstrated many times. Secondly, the test described above simply confirms a facet of that phenomenon - but not at all the one that the experimenters claim. Don't say that you've proved that crows can recognize faces when you were actually busy confirming that they will recognize a specific piece of rubber. Run a test with actual faces - it's not that difficult.

There are other inaccuracies and rather ignorant comments throughout this Nature episode. Moreover, the creators don't give you one bit of info on things that would have made the documentary properly interesting, such as the crows' anatomy, physiology, and evolutionary history.

I'm giving the film 3 points for the inherent coolness of the crows, but this inept documentary doesn't even remotely do justice to these elegant, clever birds. 3/10.