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--- carrion_crow_pepper [2026/07/13 17:43] – administrator
+++ carrion_crow_pepper [2026/07/13 17:57] (current) – administrator
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 ===== Pepper and Chili =====
-Carrion crow Pepper came to us as a nestling in May 2014, together with his brother Chili after they have been found in a church yard after their nest came down following a severe storm. Both were cold and lethargic due to dehydration. Both suffered a concussion, but no fractures or other internal injuries. Only Pepper had a subluxation tendency of both of his metatarsophalangeal joints, which we subsequently had to splint. Both birds had a mildly deficient plumage, which we corrected via diet and supplements, and which changed into a prestine plumage one year later after their first complete moult.
+{{ :2015-11-29_12-10.jpeg?150|}}Carrion crow Pepper came to us as a nestling in May 2014, together with his brother Chili after they have been found in a church yard after their nest came down following a severe storm. Both were cold and lethargic due to dehydration. Both suffered a concussion, but no fractures or other internal injuries. Only Pepper had a subluxation tendency of both of his metatarsophalangeal joints, which we subsequently had to splint. Both birds had a mildly deficient plumage, which we corrected via diet and supplements, and which changed into a prestine plumage one year later after their first complete moult.
-In early autumn of 2015 we opened the soft release aviary doors for a small crow release group, Pepper and Chili included. As expected, it took about 3 days for all birds to leave eventually the release aviary. Chili and Pepper left on different days, whereas Pepper was the last bird to leave. All birds joint the wild flock of non-breeding birds nearby, but came back occasionally for treats.
+{{ :2016-04-01_20-27.jpeg?150|}}In early autumn of 2015 we opened the soft release aviary doors for a small crow release group, Pepper and Chili included. As expected, it took about 3 days for all birds to leave eventually the release aviary. Chili and Pepper left on different days, whereas Pepper was the last bird to leave. All birds joint the wild flock of non-breeding birds nearby, but came back occasionally for treats.
 ===== Pepper's Return =====
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 To our surprise, two days later Pepper was back on site and in the aviary. He was perfectly fine without signs of a fight or injury. We kept the aviary doors open over daytime, but Pepper was not inclined to leave again. After another three days of trying we accepted Pepper's wishes and moved him into a communal aviary. Another release attempt one year later in 2016 failed again, as Pepper not even attempted to leave the release aviary we had open for several days.
-Over time Pepper bonded with another unrealisable imprinted crow we named Colin. They became very close and quite boisterous during breeding season, so that we had to take both birds out of the communal aviary and had to built their own aviary. They enjoyed their own space very much and regularly attempted to breed, which clearly shows that our sanctuary environment is very much up to corvid standards.
+{{ :carrion_crow_colin_02.jpeg?150|}}Over time Pepper bonded with another unrealisable imprinted crow we named Colin. They became very close and quite boisterous during breeding season, so that we had to take both birds out of the communal aviary and had to built their own aviary. They enjoyed their own space very much and regularly attempted to breed, which clearly shows that our sanctuary environment is very much up to corvid standards.
 ===== Freedom as a Matter of Confidence =====
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 We continued the medication we started by putting his oral drugs onto a few mealworms, which he took from a small dish. The next day Pepper started to beg like a youngster for his medicated treats as soon as Kerstin entered the room, which he would not do when it was my turn to give him his medication.  He usually does take his treats from me without hesitation, but he would not beg.  This did surprise us, and repeated itself when we randomly changed our duties. The only logical explanation we can come up with is that Pepper was reminded of his early childhood, where Kerstin was the only person hand feeding him and his brother.((Crows are watching your language, literally. Kaeli Swift, Ph.D., June 21, 2020, https://corvidresearch.blog/2020/06/21/the-crows-are-watching-your-language-literally/))
-Pepper's behaviour clearly demonstrates the ability of crows to store and retrieve long term memories, and put those into current contexts. Their ability to expand experiences and warnings highlights the remarkable depth of their memory. When a crow encounters positive or negative experiences, they do remember the incident and its implications and the person’s face. In fact, they may remember the person’s face for a lifetime, recalling it whenever they cross paths again.((Wagener L, Rinnert P, Veit L, Nieder A. Crows protect visual working memory against interference. J Exp Biol. 2023 Mar 1;226(5):jeb245453. doi: 10.1242/jeb.245453. Epub 2023 Feb 28. PMID: 36806418; PMCID: PMC10038144.))
+Pepper's behaviour clearly demonstrates the ability of crows to store and retrieve long term memories, and put those into current contexts. Their ability to expand experiences and warnings highlights the remarkable depth of their memory. When a crow encounters positive or negative experiences, they do remember the incident and its implications and the person’s face. In fact, they may remember the person’s face for a lifetime, recalling it whenever they cross paths again.((Wagener L, Rinnert P, Veit L, Nieder A. Crows protect visual working memory against interference. J Exp Biol. 2023 Mar 1;226(5):jeb245453. doi: 10.1242/jeb.245453. Epub 2023 Feb 28. PMID: 36806418; PMCID: PMC10038144.)) ((The mind of a crow -
+what studying corvids tells us about cognition, Claudia Wascher, Behavioural Biology at Anglia Ruskin University, March 2, 2026, https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/cambridge-festival-the-mind-of-a-crow)) ((Fongaro E, Rose J. Crows control working memory before and after stimulus encoding. Sci Rep. 2020 Feb 24;10(1):3253. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-59975-4. PMID: 32094457; PMCID: PMC7039964.))