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Why are ravens smart? Exploring the social intelligence hypothesis.

Thomas Bugnyar1,2

  • 1Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria.

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Northern Ravens demonstrate advanced social intelligence. Their complex cognitive skills, including memory and social deduction, likely evolved due to the challenging social environment they experience as non-breeders.

Keywords:
IntelligenceNorthern RavenSocial foraging

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Area of Science:

  • Animal Cognition
  • Avian Behavior
  • Evolutionary Psychology

Background:

  • Corvids, particularly Northern Ravens (Corvus corax), are known for intelligence, historically based on anecdotes.
  • Recent decades have seen accumulating experimental evidence for sophisticated cognitive skills in corvids.
  • Understanding the evolutionary drivers of these advanced cognitive abilities remains a key question.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary reasons behind the development of cognitive skills in Northern Ravens.
  • To connect hypotheses on brain evolution with empirical data on daily life challenges faced by these birds.

Main Methods:

  • Observational studies of foraging Northern Ravens.
  • Analysis of social dynamics within foraging groups, including dominance hierarchies and social bonds.
  • Assessment of individual ravens' memory of former group members and relationship valence over extended periods.

Main Results:

  • Foraging ravens exhibit characteristics supporting social intelligence, meeting repeatedly at sites with varied preferences and group dynamics.
  • Foraging groups are structured by dominance rank and social bonds.
  • Individual ravens possess long-term memory of social relationships, deduce third-party interactions, and utilize this social knowledge in daily life, such as intervening in conflicts and affiliations.

Conclusions:

  • The complex social environment experienced by non-breeding ravens appears to be a significant shaping factor for their socio-cognitive skills.
  • Raven intelligence is strongly linked to their ability to navigate and utilize complex social information.