Otto P Nudd Emily Butler by Emily Butler 9781524717773, 9781524717759, 1524717770, 1524717754 instant download after payment.

Are you familiar with the story from Aesop’s fables about a crow and a pitcher of water? The crow was thirsty, but the water in the pitcher was too low for him to reach. Or maybe it was just that his beak wasn’t long enough. Either way, the crow found a tidy solution. He dropped pebbles into the pitcher and raised the level of the water. Then he took a nice, long drink.

Would it surprise you to learn that crows are every bit as clever in real life as the one in the story? Scientists have tested them by re-creating the conditions in Aesop’s fable. (In at least one case, they floated a tasty worm on top of the water, just out of reach of the bird’s beak.) Sure enough, crows dropped stones into the container until the water was high enough for them to drink (or get the worm)!

If crows are terrific problem-solvers, ravens are even better. They know how to make and use tools. They are so good at recognizing people that researchers who work with them occasionally resort to wearing masks! If you annoy a raven or crow, they’ll remember your face for a long time. Likewise, if you become their friend, they won’t soon forget you.

It can be hard to tell crows and ravens apart unless you’re an expert. I’ve been paying attention to them for years, and I still mix them up. They’re so similar, you might wonder if they can interbreed. In other words, can they make little “cravens”? The answer is they can, but they almost never do.

Corvids have family and friends and enemies. They fight and play games. They feel happiness and sorrow and paranoia. They have good days and bad ones! They use gestures, won’t team up with birds who annoy them, and like to show off. It’s not a stretch for me to imagine a raven like Otto P. Nudd, bird for the ages. Perhaps you’ll meet a crow (or a squirrel, or a badger, or a human) in this book who reminds you of someone you know!