Crows
Crows are intelligent, social, and their calls are highly variable. To better understand their behavior in large social aggregations, we have used an array of remotely activated, time synced microphones. We use the Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) method to localize individual callers in pre-roost and post-roost aggregations in order to identify any context-dependent patterns in these vocalizations. (co-PI: Dr. Wacker)
Here is a video of pre-roost aggregation of crows on the roof of the University of Washington Bothell’s Discovery Hall.
Our work on crow vocalization has been highlighted in UW News, The Seattle Times, and many science news outlets such as EurekAlert!, ScienceDaily, Newsweek, etc.
UWNews, “Rooftop wiretap aims to learn what crows gossip about at dusk”
The Seattle Times, “What’s with all the cawing? UW team eavesdrops on crows”
EurekAlert!, “Rooftop wiretap aims to learn what crows gossip about at dusk”
ScienceDaily, “Rooftop wiretap aims to learn what crows gossip about at dusk”
Newsweek, “Do animals talk? Scientists are about to eavesdrop on crows to find out if they have conversations”
Engineering and Technology, “Murder of crows’ cacophony decoded as researchers eavesdrop on conversation“
Tribstar, “What are the crows talking about? Researchers are listening in”