Ravens can plan for the future.
Boeckle and Clayton comment on research showing that ravens can plan, selecting and storing tools for future use. They can even learn to save tokens for the future to trade for food. The original research calls this ‘domain-general planning’, which would constitute a stronger cognitive capability than originally thought to exist in corvids. Mammals and birds possess similar forebrain structures. Corvids in particular appear to have sophisticated forebrains relative to most birds. Such abilities are evolutionarily beneficial both in their own right and from a social point of view.
Link to article: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/357/6347/126
You may also like to browse other ethology posts: https://www.thesentientrobot.com/category/ethology/
