Задание №10 — Чтение

Crows are birds known for their intelligence, their adaptability, and their loud, harsh cawing sound. They are part of the same family as ravens, jays, magpies, and nutcrackers. Different crow species live on every continent, except South America and Antarctica. Although they are not sometimes taken seriously, just as annoying noisy birds, crows are clever, curious, and deeply social creatures. Even today, scientists are continuing to discover how unusual and surprising these birds are.

Crows are extremely intelligent. They are known for their problem-solving, communication skills, and ability to recognise humans. In fact, research shows that crows remember the faces of people they do not like and even pass this information to other crows in their flock. These cunning birds are maths experts, too. Crows can count out loud, and they understand the concept of zero. In some ways, crows are as clever as toddlers or small children, and on one test of intelligence, they even beat monkeys.

Crows are omnivores, which means they eat nearly anything. Crows eat small mammals, frogs, and reptiles, as well as eggs and the remains of dead animals. They also eat bugs, seeds, grains, nuts, fruit, mollusks, worms, and even other birds. Crows sometimes dig through human garbage for a snack. Besides, they are known to hide their meal and save it for later. Crows have even been spotted placing walnuts on the road, so that cars will drive over them and crack their shells, making the nuts easier to eat.

Ravens and crows are related, but they are different. One can tell the two apart mainly by their size: ravens are larger and closer in size to hawks. Crows also tend to travel in large flocks, whereas ravens are more often seen in pairs. They also have different tail feathers. Crow tail feathers are all the same length, so when a crow is flying, its tail looks like a handheld fan. A raven, on the other hand, has longer feathers in the middle of its tail, so it looks like an arrow shape when the raven flies.

Like parrots, some crows learn to mimic human speech. The way birds make sounds is very different from the way we do, though. Humans can speak because of our larynx, or voice box. When air from our lungs passes through the larynx, our vocal cords vibrate, which creates sound waves we recognise as speech. Crows do not have a larynx, though. They have a different vocal organ, called a syrinx, that they use to make noises. It lets crows communicate, and they are known for their distinctive cawing sound.

The crow is well-known for its ability to predict trouble. Crows quickly learn that a moving car is no danger, but will rapidly fly away if the driver stops and gets out. In areas where they are constantly hunted, they learn the difference between a hunter with a gun and a farmer with farming tools. This degree of great care and attention is developed due to frequent aggressive treatment by man. Crows use a system of guards that observe and sound warnings to all other crows in the area.

Crows use a mixed habitat, including woodlands, open areas, agricultural fields, coastal wetlands, marshes, rivers, and streams. Crows generally nest once per year. Nest building usually happens in late March and takes about 5 days. The nests are cup shaped and constructed of twigs and bark, and lined with grass, leaves, feathers, etc. On average, 5 eggs are laid from late April to early May, and it takes about 20 days to hatch. The young remain in the nest for about a month, and are fed even longer.