With the help of tiny video cameras installed to the tail feathers of crows researchers found that birds use a variety of tools. They may use twigs for forage and may make their own tools paring down and bending branches or nibbling grass stalks.

According to researcher Christian Ruts from Oxford University, it was able to see previously unknown way to use of tools by crows. As it turned out birds apply tools while they are on the earth. These tools were produced from a small stalk of grass to catch fish, which then cut into the nest.

Previously it was known that crows of New Celedonia used sticks to detect larvas in the carrion trees. But only now discovered that birds use the tool and on the ground. The results can be summarized as follows: ecological niche in which crows use tools, has larger than they previously thought. The results were published in the journal Science.

Ruts and group of researchers studied crows of New Caledonia in the laboratory. It was observed that birds constructed tools: bend wires for food extraction. It was necessary to verify whether a crows are the same in nature? But it is difficult to observe birds at the Pacific island of New Caledonia because of impassable forests and acute sensitivity to the presence of birds of people around them. That is why idea to attach 13g video camera to feathers is appeared. At the same place in the laboratory experiments were conducted at the crows, and then it was decided to continue study in the forest. One gram of the weight is comparable to that clip. The camera is attached to the tail feathers of crows and then is bended to look in front to record abdomen, legs and sometimes head of bird.

It was noticed that crows can construct a very unusual instruments, but they never pick any random rod.

Ruts claims that birds choose rod knowingly breaking off it, sometimes they pare down them or bend in the hook. They also like to use dry stalks of grass, which are more flexible. Especially good tools birds kept for future use. During the study crows per hour on average ate eight pieces of something (beetle larvae, small lizards and small fruit).

Observations were amazing! There is a great temptation to accept the perceived rationality of the New Caledonian crows, but it is necessary be careful with the conclusions. The fact that some actions seem to be clever to researcher-man has not yet proved that it is indeed a manifestation of mind.

For example, it is impossible to call spider clever only because it spin web that provide it food. In fact, all may be different. Probably, these crows have learned by chance ever to use tools, and now simply reproduce automatically obtained once skills, that is distinguish between the conscious action and instinct are increasingly blurred. Using of tools - the only unusual feature of New Caledonian crows that is interested for researchers. To confirm the hypothesis about the reasonableness of crows, scientists are looking for environmental factors that could form such behaviour during evolution.