Podcasts about kaeli swift

Dr. Kaeli Swift knows crows. And she's watched them do some pretty extraordinary things. In fact all corvids-the family that includes crows, jays, magpies, and others-have a well deserved reputation for intelligence and fascinating social behaviors. Dr. Swift's research has provided insights into how crows interact with us, with their dead, and with each other. She joined host Nate Swick from Denali National Park where she is working with Canada Jays to talk about corvid culture and cognition. Also, some spectacular, if slightly wrong, bird art in Corpus Christi, Texas.  Thanks to our friends the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival for sponsoring this episode. Register today! Chicago's Urban Birding Festival is a great way to enjoy the unique birding in unique landscapes Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it! And don't forget to join the ABA to support this podcast and the many things we do for birds and birders!  

Join Ellen & corvid scientist Dr. Kaeli Swift for a review of the clever little goths rummaging through a trash can near you: American crows. We discuss the twists and turns of a career in science, what crows can learn from funerals, how to tell a crow from a raven, and lessons in crucial skills like cheeto thievery and pizza crust gardening.Links:Learn more about Dr. Kaeli Swift and her work on her blog, corvidresearch.blog!Follow Dr. Kaeli Swift on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or Twitter!Follow Marianas Nature to learn more about the wildlife of the Mariana Islands!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Threads, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on TikTok!

Join Ellen & corvid scientist Dr. Kaeli Swift for a review of the clever little goths rummaging through a trash can near you: American crows. We discuss the twists and turns of a career in science, what crows can learn from funerals, how to tell a crow from a raven, and lessons in crucial skills like cheeto thievery and pizza crust gardening.Links:Learn more about Dr. Kaeli Swift and her work on her blog, corvidresearch.blog!Follow Dr. Kaeli Swift on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or Twitter!Follow Marianas Nature to learn more about the wildlife of the Mariana Islands!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Threads, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on TikTok!

It's the year 2123. With ongoing wars, a devastating climate catastrophe, and the inevitable uprising of artificial intelligence, the Human race is fractured. Only the Crows remain... Why have Crows succeeded where other species have fallen? They've been watching us the whole time...gathering information, scavenging, communicating above our very heads. For years, we ignored them. Shooed them away. Shot and poisoned them. Little did we know that they would have the last laugh, as humanity plunges into despair. Okay, so we can't see into the future. But this is Science's best guess at what will happen! And explaining why WE should be watching the Crows instead of the other way around is the fabulous Dr Kaeli Swift - an Ethologist specialising in Corvid behaviour. With Kaeli's help in this episode, we find out why Crows are "couple goals" and break down some classic Crow behaviours to explain what the heck is going on when they pull at dogs' tails. Our Charity of the Week this week is the phenomenal "Alala Project" - protecting Hawaii's only native species of Crow! Find them on Facebook or Instagram under "Alala Project" for more information! And this podcast is sponsored by the stylishly ethical Blue Panda Clothing - where buying clothes helps to save animals! Check out their incredible winter gear at www.bluepanda.co.uk and help some incredible conservation charities across the world today!

This is previously unreleased audio with from my interview with Kaeli Swift! Peek behind the curtain and hear

Important note: This is part 2 of an interview so we recommend to listen to part 1 first. Kaeli Swift is @corvidresearch on major social media outlets. To learn more about the important role Tinian played in WWII, click below: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tinian

Dr. Kaeli Swift is a researcher and renowned science communicator who loves to unwrap the fascinating world of Corvids for her followers on social media. We caught up with Dr. Swift in Seattle before she left for a new research project she's conducting on the island of Tinian. Dr. Swift talked to us about crows and ravens, their biology, behavior and intelligence in this episode of the Beaver State Podcast.  Show Notes:  Follow Dr. Kaeli Swift on Social Media - Instagram TikTok Twitter Catch Dr. Swift on the Oologies Podcast talking about crow funerals - Corvid Thanatology (CROW FUNERALS) with Dr. Kaeli Swift — alie ward Book Recommendations -  "In the company of crows and ravens" by John Marzluff "Mind of the raven" Bernd Heinrich Check out the crows attacking the Barred owl at Seward Park when this podcast was recorded - https://youtube.com/shorts/_dMpJA84c8M?feature=share  

This is part 1 of an interview I had with Kaeli Swift, a corvid researcher at the UW! Tune back in next week for part 2 about the Tinian Monarch. The audio quality does improve after the first few questions. Kaeli Swift's blog: https://corvidresearch.blog/ Kaeli Swift's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corvidresearch/

Dr. Kaeli Swift discusses why we have to be careful, educated, and thoughtful if we want to feed wildlife. EG shop homepage: https://growepic.co/3JYln1D EG books: https://growepic.co/46OGNYH EG homesteading book: https://growepic.co/44ppoUP Connect With Kaeli Swift: Dr. Swift earned her PhD in avian behavioral ecology from the University of Washington. While there, she studied American crows, with a special emphasis on behaviors around death. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington, where she is studying the breeding ecology of the Tinian monarch. Video, audio, and print reports of her research have been featured by: National Geographic, PBS, the New York Times, The Atlantic, Ologies podcast, Science Friday and many others. Blog Twitter Instagram TikTok Buy Birdies Garden Beds Use code EPICPODCAST for 5% off your first order of Birdies metal raised garden beds, the best metal raised beds in the world. They last 5-10x longer than wooden beds, come in multiple heights and dimensions, and look absolutely amazing. Click here to shop Birdies Garden Beds Buy My Book My book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, is a beginners guide to growing food in small spaces, covering 6 different methods and offering rock-solid fundamental gardening knowledge: Order on Amazon Order a signed copy Follow Epic Gardening YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group

Being a “bird brain” isn't such a bad thing after all! Dr. Kaeli Swift talks about the misunderstandings of the brains and intelligence of Corvids. EG shop homepage: https://growepic.co/3NTyn9I EG books: https://growepic.co/3rwDXaw EG homesteading book: https://growepic.co/44nsmJH Connect With Kaeli Swift: Dr. Swift earned her PhD in avian behavioral ecology from the University of Washington. While there, she studied American crows, with a special emphasis on behaviors around death. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington, where she is studying the breeding ecology of the Tinian monarch. Video, audio, and print reports of her research have been featured by: National Geographic, PBS, the New York Times, The Atlantic, Ologies podcast, Science Friday and many others. Blog Twitter Instagram TikTok Buy Birdies Garden Beds Use code EPICPODCAST for 5% off your first order of Birdies metal raised garden beds, the best metal raised beds in the world. They last 5-10x longer than wooden beds, come in multiple heights and dimensions, and look absolutely amazing. Click here to shop Birdies Garden Beds Buy My Book My book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, is a beginners guide to growing food in small spaces, covering 6 different methods and offering rock-solid fundamental gardening knowledge: Order on Amazon Order a signed copy Follow Epic Gardening YouTube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Facebook Group

This podcast is a commentary and does not contain any copyrighted material of the reference source. We strongly recommend accessing/buying the reference source at the same time. ■Reference Source https://www.ted.com/talks/kaeli_swift_what_crows_teach_us_about_death ■Post on this topic (You can get FREE learning materials!) https://englist.me/170-academic-words-reference-from-kaeli-swift-what-crows-teach-us-about-death--ted-talk/ ■Youtube Video https://youtu.be/li4swmbHZOQ (All Words) https://youtu.be/Yka6IseRh6I (Advanced Words) https://youtu.be/bEsGTYrY7p4 (Quick Look) ■Top Page for Further Materials https://englist.me/ ■SNS (Please follow!)

Dr. Kaeli Swift joined the podcast to talk about Corvid biology, ecology and cultural influence. Subscribe to the podcast and help me make a better show for you!⁠

Jaklyn Larsen doesn't like the term “social media influencer,” but when a crow decided to befriend her, she documented it on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, making Clumsy famous and giving us a peek inside that strange and fantastic two-way relationship that some corvids have with humans. In this episode, we talked to Jaklyn about her creative endeavors, many of which involve plant and wildlife photography as well as her ongoing friendship with Clumsy the crow and his partner Jumpy. We also reached out to corvid expert Dr. Kaeli Swift for some more information on why some crows befriend humans. Want to leave us a note? email us at: Beaver_State_Podcast@odfw.oregon.gov You can follow Jakz on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok @iamjakz You can follow Dr. Kaeli Swift on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok @corvidresearch

Of all the birds out there, the corvid family — the crows, ravens, and jays — might have the spookiest reputation. But this idea that corvids are spooky is far from universal — it's mainly in the Western world, as corvid researcher Kaeli Swift explains.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org. Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

For Halloween, corvid researcher Kaeli Swift joins Tenijah for a show-and-tell of spooky birds. Corvids, vultures, and owls all have reputations as ominous and foreboding — and today, we're digging into those ideas. Kaeli unpacks why the birds are seen as scary, shares cool facts beyond their mysterious façade, and explores conservation opportunities to help these birds. More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible.

Ornithologist Dr Kaeli Swift tells us all about corvids, from their lifestyle and intelligence to how you can befriend a crow. Once you've mastered the basics with Instant Genius, dive deeper with Instant Genius Extra, where you'll find longer, richer discussions about the most exciting ideas in the world of science and technology. Only available on Apple Podcasts. Produced by the team behind BBC Science Focus Magazine. Visit our website: sciencefocus.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Crows have funerals? CROWS HAVE FUNERALS. The inky black bird with the big brain warns and maybe mourns around their fallen friends and Dr. Kaeli Swift is here to tell us all about it. As an avid wildlife researcher and corvid specialist, she's observed death behaviors that will shock you to your bones and ruffle your hackles -- while somehow also making you cry about peanuts. Also: so much inspiration to keep being yourself and to work hard toward what you love. She is a hero. Dr. Kaeli Swift's Blog, YouTube, Twitter & InstagramBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month: www.Patreon.com/ologiesOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, pins, totes!Follow @Ologies on Twitter or InstagramFollow @AlieWard on Twitter or InstagramMore links at www.alieward.comSound editing by Steven Ray Morris 

When Dr. Kaeli Swift was in college, she became obsessed with the Corvid family of birds, which includes crows, ravens and jays. She decided to study whether crows learn to recognize certain human faces as friendly. She tried putting a mask on a mannequin holding peanuts, but the crows spotted the

Seattle tends to have more crows than the average U.S. city. Mostly we get along fine, but it's the time of year when crows will dive bomb unsuspecting passers by. We head to Seward Park with a crow expert to find out why. Guest: Dr. Kaeli Swift, avian researcher and crow expertCheck out photos of Ferdinand on KUOW's website: kuow.org/stories/seattle-now-it-s-crow-dive-bombing-season

Welcome back to the Frown Town! This week, Vee and J are joined by Dr. Kaeli Swift to discuss bird law, bird society, and all things crows! Special thank you to FCON for loaning us their song Liquid Fury for our intro! Their bandcamp: https://fcon206.bandcamp.com/track/fcon. Guest Info Dr. Kaeli Swift - Twitter | Blog --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

How much of our rituals around death are learned from animals? Animal behaviorist Dr. Kaeli Swift explores the life and death habits of our non-human neighbors and shares what their responses could reveal about our own relationship to mortality. This talk was filmed at TEDxSalem. All TEDx events are organized independently by volunteers in the spirit of TED's mission of ideas worth spreading. To learn more about TEDxSHORTS, the TEDx program, or give feedback on this episode, please visit http://go.ted.com/tedxshorts. Follow TEDx on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TEDx Follow TEDx on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tedx_official Like TEDx on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxEvents

If you're enjoying the show please leave us a review. It really helps us out.Please visit our website 10bestest.com for all of our show notes.

Rituals for the dead span much of the natural world, seen in practices from humans and elephants to bees, dolphins and beyond. With charm and playful insight, animal behaviorist Kaeli Swift delves into the life (and death) habits of crows and shares what their responses could reveal about our own relationship to mortality.

Rituals for the dead span much of the natural world, seen in practices from humans and elephants to bees, dolphins and beyond. With charm and playful insight, animal behaviorist Kaeli Swift delves into the life (and death) habits of crows and shares what their responses could reveal about our own relationship to mortality.

Rituals for the dead span much of the natural world, seen in practices from humans and elephants to bees, dolphins and beyond. With charm and playful insight, animal behaviorist Kaeli Swift delves into the life (and death) habits of crows and shares what their responses could reveal about our own relationship to mortality.

Charlotte-Rose Millar of Univ of Queensland on her book "Witchcraft, the Devil and Emotions in Early Modern England". Nicholas Bellantoni of Univ of Connecticut on colonial vampires. Evan Ward of Brigham Young Univ on Day of the Dead. Brett Herbst on corn mazes. Kaeli Swift of Univ of Washington on crows. Gene Ahlborn of Brigham Young Univ on Halloween candy.

Today we’re visiting the spookiest, smartest, most spectacular family in the animal kingdom: the corvids! Crows, ravens, rooks and more! Are crows the smartest being on earth? Do they mourn their dead? Featuring crow expert Dr. Kaeli Swift! Footnotes! Dr. Swift's spooky crow study!  DO NOT BE ALARMED! CROW RESEARCH!  Genius New Caledonian crows  Crow gifts?  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Today we’re visiting the spookiest, smartest, most spectacular family in the animal kingdom: the corvids! Crows, ravens, rooks and more! Are crows the smartest being on earth? Do they mourn their dead? Featuring crow expert Dr. Kaeli Swift! Footnotes! Dr. Swift's spooky crow study!  DO NOT BE ALARMED! CROW RESEARCH!  Genius New Caledonian crows  Crow gifts?  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Crows have gotten a bad rap throughout history — a group of them is called a "murder," after all. To get some insight into crows and perhaps set the record straight, we talked to Kaeli Swift. She's a lecturer at the University of Washington and wrote her doctoral thesis on crow "funerals."

Every joke about "Corvid-19" has already been made, so let's skip to the good stuff: BIRDS! We'll share some fascinating, little-known facts about one of the bird world's smartest families (but let's be honest, ALL birds are smart). Corvids—aka the crow family—can be found all over the world. Even if you're new to birding, you've likely spotted a member of this family around your neighborhood. While some people might consider them "basic" birds, we think they're anything but basic. These uncommon facts about four common US-based corvids will help you wow your friends the next time you see a crow (or is it a raven...?) out and about. Still struggling with the difference between an American Crow and a Common Raven? We'll break down the differences and provide you with some hard-to-forget visual cues. Oh, and we also brought back "Birds in the News," since it's been sooooo looooong. Hit us up at hellobirdshit@gmail.com with feedback/thoughts on the episode!BIRD SHIT WE DISCUSSEDUSEFUL RESOURCESMore crow (and corvid) FAQs from Kaeli Swift, Ph.D! (Make sure to follow her on Twitter, too.)BIRDS WE MENTION (in order)Cave SwiftletOilbirdForty-spotted PardaloteBlue JayRed-shouldered HawkRed-tailed HawkBald EagleEastern Screech-OwlEastern BluebirdIndigo BuntingBrown-headed CowbirdAmerican CrowCommon RavenBlack-billed MagpieBIRDS IN THE NEWSTo NOT Kill a MockingbirdWe’re not the only ones getting fat during quarantine: birds are, too.Don’t hate the gulls: we need their expensive poop!A win for an endangered Tasmanian bird, thanks to smart-thinking scientistsSupport the show (https://www.bonfire.com/talk-birdy-to-me-bird-shit-podcast/)

We talked with Kaeli Swift @CorvidResearch about crows and ravens!

Crows thrive in urban landscapes, recognize human faces, and even have funerals for their dead. Kaeli Swift is a Washington-based researcher who has just co-authored a new study on crow brain activity. She joins us to talk about the inner lives of crows.

Vanessa Bohns of Cornell Univ on consent vs. compliance and the Weinstein trial. Max Greenberg, Boston Univ, on mandated reporting. William Brady, Yale Univ, on getting outraged online. David Eddington, Brigham Young Univ, on weird English spellings. Kaeli Swift of Univ of Washington on crows. Joshua Conrad Jackson of UNC Chapel Hill on how robots could reduce prejudice among people. Worlds Awaiting host Rachel Wadham on recently announced winners of the Caldecott and Newbery awards.

Crows have gotten a bad rap throughout history. Think about it. A group of them is called a "murder." To get some insight into crows and perhaps set the record straight, we talked to Kaeli Swift. She's a lecturer at the University of Washington and wrote her doctoral thesis on crow "funerals." In an earlier version of this episode, we used the word "spooky" to describe crows. Because that word has a history of being used as a racial slur, we chose to replace it with the words "scary" and "creepy." Thanks to our listeners who helpfully pointed this out to us, and we apologize. You can learn more about this from our friends at Code Switch.

Burying outdated rituals, Koko and his kitty, Hiring Monica Lewinsky as our new beer wench. Myth of Sissyphus. Anthropos and Ozymandias love men in power, listen in as they butcher the work of Abraham Maslow, Jordan Peterson, Albert Camus, and Dr. Kaeli Swift all in one episode.

a.k.a. 'whiskey jacks' Corvid queen and friend of the show KAELI SWIFT is back! She's here to tell us about the world's most adorable corvid the CANADA JAY. We get into smoky eyes, sticky sticky sticky sticky saliva and also objective adorableness as we deep dive into Kaeli's current studies.  Show Notes Kaeli Swift on Twitter Kaeli's Blog Know more about Canada Jay Spit here Maggie on Twitter Drunk Safari on Twitter Drunk Safari on Facebook

Dr. Kaeli Swift knows crows. And she's watched them do some pretty extraordinary things. In fact all corvids-the family that includes crows, jays, magpies, and others-have a well deserved reputation for intelligence and fascinating social behaviors. Dr. Swift's research has provided insights into how crows interact with us, with their dead, and with each other. She joins host Nate Swick from Denali National Park where she is working with Canada Jays to talk about corvid culture and cognition.  Also, Fantasy Birding makes the big time! Sort of. And some thoughts on the passing of a giant of modern birding.  Thanks to the Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival for their support of the American Birding Podcast.  

Hi I'm Dr. Kaeli Swift! I study the behavior of corvids, which are the family of birds that includes crows, ravens, magpies and jays. Right now my work focuses on understanding how climate change may affect the feeding behavior of Canada jays.

Kaeli Swift, Ph.D. joins us today to discuss her research on a genus of bird you are certainly familiar with. The genus is Corvus and birds within this genus include, crows, ravens, rooks, and jackdaws. In the episode Dr. Swift tells us about her fascinating research on crow behavior, including how crows respond to dead crows, she explains the concept of “crow funerals”, as well as some of the more complex behavioral traits possessed by crows and ravens including, facial recognition, problem-solving, and tool creation. As you know, crows and ravens permeate human mythology and origin stories. There is something about the relationship these birds have with humans that is ancient and deeply seeded in our psyche. This conversation with Dr. Swift illustrates why crows and ravens hold such a prominent spot in both our ancient past and our daily lives as well. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/18-corvid-research/ Head to the show notes (link above) for more! Mind of the Raven: https://amzn.to/2uaNaod

Dr. Kaeli Swift, Corvid Researcher and a literal Doctor of Crow Death Behaviors, joins the DTFH! This episode is brought to you by [Squarespace](https://www.squarespace.com/duncan) (offer code: DUNCAN to save 10% on your first site).

Actual scientist and very patient human KAELI SWIFT is here to get you fuckin jazzed on the birds in your backyard! Get inspired to go birding, but like, all the time, as we talk about our smartest, wiliest urban neighbors. Also, that mask? From that study we all talk about it? It was actually Dick Cheney. Show Notes Kaeli Swift on Twitter Kaeli's Blog Maggie on Twitter Drunk Safari on Twitter Drunk Safari on Facebook

Get involved in the podcast discussion! Find out how Podcast Brunch Club works. Adela interviews Rose Eveleth, the producer and host of the Flash Forward podcast. PBC members worldwide listened to a podcast playlist on Artificial Intelligence. The Flash Forward episode called “Bot for Teacher” was included. Check out the other podcasts in this Artificial Intelligence playlist mini-series, including the Roundup episode and the forthcoming interview with the producer of the Guardian Science Weekly podcast, which we also featured on the listening list. Some links to the fun stuff Rose talked about during the interview: AI Weirdness blog, which Rose used to create a machine-learned holy text for her episode called… “Our Father, Who Art In Algorithm” (one of Rose’s favorite Flash Forward episodes) Podcast picks from Rose: Articles of Interest: (a mini-series from 99% Invisible Ologies: every episode is an interview with a different -ologist (think paleontologist, anthropologist, etc). The episode Rose recommends is “Corvid Thanatology (CROW FUNERALS) with a Kaeli Swift. Follow Rose and Flash Forward on Twitter. Visit the Flash Forward website. Rose also has a Patreon page for the show. Join PBC: newsletter, in-person chapter, Facebook Group, twitter Join Audible Feast: website, newsletter, Facebook, twitter Audio editing and production by Steven Zampanti of Conceptual Podcasting. Music in this episode includes Night Owl Collective’s Superb Lyres – Sober and baircave’s Moe Shop – Love Taste (Bair Remix), and “Paradise” by Misael Gauna. Organizational Partners include (learn how to become a partner here): Listen Notes – The Best Podcast Search Engine Podbean – use the code “pbc” for one month free on podcast hosting

Crows have funerals? CROWS HAVE FUNERALS. The inky black bird with the big brain warns and maybe mourns around their fallen friends and Dr. Kaeli Swift is here to tell us all about it. As an avid wildlife researcher and corvid specialist, she's observed death behaviors that will shock you to your bones and ruffle your hackles -- while somehow also making you cry about peanuts. Also: so much inspiration to keep being yourself and to work hard toward what you love. She is a hero. Dr. Kaeli Swift's Blog, YouTube, Twitter & Instagram Become a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month: www.Patreon.com/ologies OlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, pins, totes! Follow @Ologies on Twitter or Instagram Follow @AlieWard on Twitter or Instagram More links at www.alieward.com Sound editing by Steven Ray Morris Theme song by Nick Thorburn Support the show.

Not a true crime story, but a true science story! Starring a murder of crows, a person in a creepy mask, and one very curious scientist named Kaeli Swift. We unravel the mystery of what appears like scene from a Halloween fright night, but is actually an experiment designed to reveal the reasons for some very weird crow behavior. Turns out, you can get a lot of strange looks on the road to science discovery. NOTE: This episode is about the scientific study of death in animals. No animals die in this story, but listeners uncomfortable with this topic might want to skip it. Other Halloween episodes are “We Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts!” and “The Laboratory of the Haunted House.” To see a photo of someone wearing the mask, and watch a video of Kaeli’s study, visit our blog at sciencepodcastforkids.com. We have more from our interview with Kaeli, on our special ad-free Patreon feed! Learn about how Kaeli followed her curiosity from this experiment, to fascinating studies on what crows might actually be thinking during a crow funeral. Pledge starting at $1/month today, at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. Send us your science questions, and tell us about your Halloween-inspired experiments! Email us at tumblepodcast@gmail.com. Happy Halloween!

Crows react really strongly to one of their own being dead—including gathering around their deceased comrades. Some experts believe that these so-called crow funerals are efforts to learn. Perhaps so they can avoid the same fate.  University of Washington researcher Kaeli Swift is one of those crow experts. When a film crew came to her campus to record these behaviors, Swift and her colleagues placed a dead crow on the grass. And they waited for the crows to show up and investigate. Just as they had done hundreds of previous times."The first bird came in, like they do, and I'm bracing myself for what I'm expecting to be the typical response. Which is that it alights in a tree, and it alarm calls, and then other birds come in…but instead what it does is it flies down to the ground, and it kind of walks up to the crow…but then it goes into really typical crow pre-copulatory posturing. Where basically they drop their wings down, and they stick their tails up, and they strut. And it just struts on over to the dead crow and jumps on top and copulates with it."Neither Swift nor her advisor had ever heard of this behavior. So they decided to determine just how common it is by conducting a series of experiments with wild crows in Seattle. They saw that most crows don't touch their dead—they observed physical contact roughly a quarter of the time. And sexual contact occurred less than five percent of the time. The finding is in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. [Kaeli Swift & John M. Marzluff. Occurrence and variability of tactile interactions between wild American crows and dead conspecifics]There's a twist that may be instructive: the crows' sexual behaviors were often combined with aggressive ones—not something that usually happens during mating encounters. And this was most frequent early in the breeding season. The researchers therefore wonder if some extremely hormonal crows may be unable to suppress one set of behaviors while expressing the other."Maybe these birds, because of these hormonal influences, are so incredibly territorial, they're so quick to take advantage of any opportunity for an extra-pair copulation, which is something we know crows engage in…but the part about this that makes it so exciting is we were actually able to quantify how frequent this behavior is. And that's completely brand new to science in any vertebrate animal."—Jason G. Goldman(The above text is a transcript of this podcast)

Crows react really strongly to one of their own being dead—including gathering around their deceased comrades. Some experts believe that these so-called crow funerals are efforts to learn. Perhaps so they can avoid the same fate.  University of Washington researcher Kaeli Swift is one of those crow experts. When a film crew came to her campus to record these behaviors, Swift and her colleagues placed a dead crow on the grass. And they waited for the crows to show up and investigate. Just as they had done hundreds of previous times."The first bird came in, like they do, and I'm bracing myself for what I'm expecting to be the typical response. Which is that it alights in a tree, and it alarm calls, and then other birds come in…but instead what it does is it flies down to the ground, and it kind of walks up to the crow…but then it goes into really typical crow pre-copulatory posturing. Where basically they drop their wings down, and they stick their tails up, and they strut. And it just struts on over to the dead crow and jumps on top and copulates with it."Neither Swift nor her advisor had ever heard of this behavior. So they decided to determine just how common it is by conducting a series of experiments with wild crows in Seattle. They saw that most crows don't touch their dead—they observed physical contact roughly a quarter of the time. And sexual contact occurred less than five percent of the time. The finding is in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. [Kaeli Swift & John M. Marzluff. Occurrence and variability of tactile interactions between wild American crows and dead conspecifics]There's a twist that may be instructive: the crows' sexual behaviors were often combined with aggressive ones—not something that usually happens during mating encounters. And this was most frequent early in the breeding season. The researchers therefore wonder if some extremely hormonal crows may be unable to suppress one set of behaviors while expressing the other."Maybe these birds, because of these hormonal influences, are so incredibly territorial, they're so quick to take advantage of any opportunity for an extra-pair copulation, which is something we know crows engage in…but the part about this that makes it so exciting is we were actually able to quantify how frequent this behavior is. And that's completely brand new to science in any vertebrate animal."—Jason G. Goldman(The above text is a transcript of this podcast)

HBM producers Jeff and Bethany are having more and more trouble bearing silence.On this episode, Jeff calls back crow researcher Kaeli Swift and asks her what it was like to sit in silence with a stranger. And Bethany explains the differences in the anxieties that she and Jeff have towards silence.Music: The Black SpotPlease note that there are some delicate tones in this podcast. If you're listening in a noisy environment, you might miss them. That's not necessarily a bad thing...just pay attention to the sounds around you.Season 4 of Here Be Monsters will begin in June.

HBM producers Jeff and Bethany are having more and more trouble bearing silence.On this episode, Jeff calls back crow researcher Kaeli Swift and asks her what it was like to sit in silence with a stranger. And Bethany explains the differences in the anxieties that she and Jeff have towards silence.Music: The Black SpotPlease note that there are some delicate tones in this podcast.  If you're listening in a noisy environment, you might miss them.  That's not necessarily a bad thing...just pay attention to the sounds around you.Season 4 of Here Be Monsters will begin in June.

On this episode, Jeff calls back crow researcher Kaeli Swift and asks her what it was like to sit in silence with a stranger. Bethany explains the differences in the anxieties that she and Jeff have towards silence.

Crows have really strange habits around death. When a bird dies, crows gather, squawking loudly and gathering as many other birds as they can find to come and look at the dead body.Much of what we know about crow funerals comes from the work of John Marzluff, a biologist at the University of Washington in Seattle. He and Kaeli Swift (one of his grad students) are trying to get to the bottom of these strange phenomena using taxidermy crows and masks and Cheetos and raw peanuts.On this episode of Here Be Monsters, We look at and listen to the strange behaviors of crows and how they might be able to teach humanity about the origins of funerals and emotions.Many thanks to David Kestenbaum of NPR's Planet Money for his help on a short version of this piece made for radio...keep your ears peeled.Also, many thanks to Brian Emtman for tipping us off to this story.Some of the crow sounds in this episode came from Cornell's Macaullay Library. Citation: macaulaylibrary.org/audio/45291http…org/audio/45291In this episode there are some amazing recordings of funeral practices from around the world, including Laos (LukeIRL), Bali (RTB45), Colombia (renatofarabeuf), and Ghana (Klankbeeld). via Freesound.Music from Flower Petal Downpour, Serocell, and The Black Spot.

Crows have really strange habits around death. When a bird dies, crows gather, squawking loudly and gathering as many other birds as they can find to come and look at the dead body.Much of what we know about crow funerals comes from the work of John Marzluff, a biologist at the University of Washington in Seattle. He and Kaeli Swift (one of his grad students) are trying to get to the bottom of these strange phenomena using taxidermy crows and masks and Cheetos and raw peanuts.On this episode of Here Be Monsters, We look at and listen to the strange behaviors of crows and how they might be able to teach humanity about the origins of funerals and emotions.Many thanks to David Kestenbaum of NPR's Planet Money for his help on a short version of this piece made for radio...keep your ears peeled.Also, many thanks to Brian Emtman for tipping us off to this story.Some of the crow sounds in this episode came from Cornell's Macaullay Library. Citation: macaulaylibrary.org/audio/45291http…org/audio/45291In this episode there are some amazing recordings of funeral practices from around the world, including Laos (LukeIRL), Bali (RTB45), Colombia (renatofarabeuf), and Ghana (Klankbeeld). via Freesound.Music from Flower Petal Downpour, Serocell, and The Black Spot.