The Theory of Mind : How Ravens Hunt Together
Brown-necked ravens team up to hunt lizards, revealing an unexpected level of intelligence, say scientists. Ornithologists observed a number of birds acting together to trap and kill their prey in Israel’s Arava Valley. Two of the ravens would fly to the ground to block the lizard’s escape route, while the others attacked it.
The behaviour suggests the birds must know what each other and the lizard are thinking, known as a ‘theory of mind’, say the scientists. Details of the behaviour are published in the Journal of Ethology. This is a live hunting expedition with the roles spelt out in advance. It is almost like an infantry assault
Professor Reuven Yosef of the International Birding and Research Centre in Eilat, Israel and his daughter Ms Nufar Yosef, a doctoral student at Tel Aviv University in Ramit Aviv, observed brown-necked ravens (Corvus rufficollis) hunting a large species of lizard called an Egyptian Mastigure (Uromastyx aegyptius).
