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The natural world is full of examples of animals interacting with their physical environment in surprising ways: capuchin monkeys crack open nuts with rocks; dolphins use sponges as 'gloves' on their rostra when searching for prey on the sea floor; and New Caledonian crows manufacture stick tools to pull grubs from logs (Figure 1). Deeper into the phylogenetic tree we continue to see interesting examples of behaviors of this kind, such as octopuses using coconut shells for protection, tuskfish breaking open cockles by hitting them against coral heads, and bees learning to pull string to gain out-of-reach food. These sophisticated behavioral interactions with their physical environment suggest that animals might have a deep understanding of their physical world at a cognitive level. In this primer, we review the performances of a variety of species when faced with tasks that probe their understanding of their physical world. In this Primer, Alex Taylor and Melissa Johnston examine the performances of animals when faced with tasks that probe their understanding of the physical world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past century, the Javan rhinoceroses' (Rhinoceros sondaicus) secluded nature and low population size have led to a gap in knowledge of their ecology. With fewer than 80 individuals surviving in a single population in West Java, Indonesia, the Javan rhinoceros is one of the most critically endangered mammals in the world. As part of a pilot bioacoustics study of the Javan rhinoceros in 2019, we systematically reviewed camera trap footage from the core Javan rhinoceros range in Ujung Kulon National Park (UKNP). In doing so, we discovered a previously unknown interaction between the Javan rhinoceros and the slender‐billed crow (Corvus enca), in which the crow finds and eats ectoparasites from the rhinoceros (Figure 1). We describe this interaction and suggest that it may represent a cleaning mutualism with benefits for both the crow and the rhinoceros. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a case of nest predation involving a Japanese Sparrowhawk and a Siberian Weasel in China. The researchers observed the weasel attacking the sparrowhawk and taking all of the nestlings and the remaining unhatched egg. The study highlights the vulnerability of small raptors to nest predation and its potential impact on their reproductive success. The document is a list of literature cited in a research article on various topics related to raptors, including breeding biology, nesting habits, and behavior, with studies conducted in different regions. The topics explored in the cited literature range from nesting failure to population decline and include aspects such as fearfulness, competitive interactions, migration routes, and parental investment theory. [Extracted from the article]

We isolated highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N5 and H5N1 viruses from crows in Hokkaido, Japan, during winter 2023–24. They shared genetic similarity with HPAI H5N5 viruses from northern Europe but differed from those in Asia. Continuous monitoring and rapid information sharing between countries are needed to prevent HPAI virus transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild birds could be a reservoir of medically relevant microorganisms, particularly multidrug-resistant Enterococcus spp. Resistant bacteria's epidemiology and transmission between animals and humans has grown, and their zoonotic potential cannot be ignored. This is the first study to evaluate the status of vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) in various wild bird species using meta-analysis and a systematic review. In this study, the pooled prevalence was obtained by analyzing data from published articles on the occurrence of VRE in wild bird species. It's unclear how the antibiotic resistance gene transfer cycle affects wild birds. Google Scholar and PubMed were used to conduct the research. The data and study methodology was assessed and extracted by two reviewers independently, with a third reviewing the results. Heterogeneity between study and publication bias were analyzed using the random effect model. Thirty-eight studies were included in the meta-analysis. 382 out of the 4144 isolates tested, were VRE. The pooled prevalence of VRE among wild birds was estimated at 11.0% (95% CI; 6.9 –17.2%; I2 = 93.204%; P

This article explores the role of scavengers in ecosystems, with a focus on the scavenger community in the Kluane region of the Yukon in Canada. The study challenges the common perception of scavengers, revealing that they include not only expected species like ravens and magpies but also unexpected ones like Canada jays, lynx, and chipmunks. The research emphasizes the complex impacts of prey species on food webs and highlights the need for further study of scavengers. The article also discusses the global presence of scavengers and their importance in nutrient recycling. It concludes by highlighting the positive contributions of scavengers, such as vultures, in waste removal and disease prevention. The decline in vulture populations in India, linked to the use of diclofenac, has led to an increase in stray dog populations and an increase in dog bites and exposure to rabies in humans. In Spain, vultures have saved farmers an estimated $50 million by consuming livestock carcasses. Scavengers also play a crucial role in reducing disease risk by removing animal remains infected with brucellosis. Pumas contribute significantly to scavenger communities in North and South America, while brushtail possums in the Australian Alps are unexpected scavengers of kangaroo carcasses. However, scavengers face threats from climate change and habitat loss, and further research is needed to fully understand their role in ecosystems and disease transmission. [Extracted from the article]

HIV biomedical intervention uptake is suboptimal among Black sexually minoritized men (SMM) and transgender women (TW). Venues where people meet and interact shape HIV-related risk and prevention behaviors. We aimed to construct GPS-defined venue-based affiliation networks and identify the unique set of venues that could maximize reach of HIV biomedical interventions among Black SMM and TW. We used baseline survey and GPS data from 272 Black SMM and TW in the Neighborhoods and Networks (N2) Cohort Study in Chicago, Illinois (2018–2019). We mapped participants' GPS data to the nearest pre-identified SMM- and TW-friendly venue (n = 222) to construct affiliation networks. Network analyses were performed to identify influential venues that can yield high reach to intervention candidates. Participants were affiliated with 75.5 % of all pre-identified venues based on GPS data. Two influential venues were identified in the non-PrEP use network, which when combined, could reach 52.5 % of participants not taking PrEP. Participants that could be reached through these two influential venues reported more non-main sex partners than participants not affiliated with either venue (p = 0.049). We demonstrate a potential for GPS-defined venue-based affiliation networks to identify unique combinations of venues that could maximize the impact of HIV prevention interventions. • GPS-based affiliation networks identify optimal sets of venues for HIV prevention. • A combination of two influential venues can reach more than half of PrEP candidates. • PrEP candidates reached via influential venues reported more casual sex partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a compilation of scientific articles and publications by various researchers, including William Richard John Dean, on topics related to African ornithology, bird behavior, ant ecology, and ecosystems in southern Africa. The articles cover a wide range of subjects such as bird distribution, breeding behavior, habitat preferences, and the effects of environmental factors on ecosystems. They provide valuable insights into bird ecology, conservation, and the ecological dynamics of different regions in southern Africa, including the Karoo. These articles would be beneficial for library patrons conducting research on bird species, ecology, and conservation in southern Africa. [Extracted from the article]

The current study represents avian species found in and around Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. 52 bird species belonging to 6 orders and 26 families were recorded. The predominant order and family were Passeriformes and Muscicapidae, respectively. The IUCN assessment reveals that 1 species is Near Threatened (NT), while 51 are Least Concern (LC). Population trends indicate 4 increasing, 13 decreasing, 29 stables, and 6 with unknown trends. The Chailly region of Shimla boasts high bird diversity due to minimal human disturbance with abundant sightings of tits, warblers, bulbuls, streaked laughing thrush, blue whistling thrush and large-billed crows. Shimla is confronted with threats to avian diversity from construction, tourism, and deforestation, putting rare species at risk. Regular analysis of avian fauna is essential for understanding the impact of stressors on regional biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild birds could be a reservoir of medically relevant microorganisms, particularly multidrug-resistant Enterococcus spp. Resistant bacteria's epidemiology and transmission between animals and humans has grown, and their zoonotic potential cannot be ignored. This is the first study to evaluate the status of vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) in various wild bird species using meta-analysis and a systematic review. In this study, the pooled prevalence was obtained by analyzing data from published articles on the occurrence of VRE in wild bird species. It's unclear how the antibiotic resistance gene transfer cycle affects wild birds. Google Scholar and PubMed were used to conduct the research. The data and study methodology was assessed and extracted by two reviewers independently, with a third reviewing the results. Heterogeneity between study and publication bias were analyzed using the random effect model. Thirty-eight studies were included in the meta-analysis. 382 out of the 4144 isolates tested, were VRE. The pooled prevalence of VRE among wild birds was estimated at 11.0% (95% CI; 6.9 –17.2%; I 2 = 93.204%; P < 0.001). There was high variability between study (t 2 = 2.156; heterogeneity I 2 = 93.204% with chi-square (Q) = 544.413, degrees of freedom (df) = 37, and P < 0.001). Egger's test verified the funnel plot's bias, while result from the leave-one-out forest plot had no effect on the pooled prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically Black communities are frequently depicted as victims of urban conditions. However, a rich tradition of placemaking, place keeping, and community care, often led and stewarded by Black women, exists. Drawing from theories that name macrosystems that contribute to the fracturing and disruption of urban Black communities (e.g. ‘root shock‘), and strategies that attempt to heal and redress these processes (e.g. ‘urban alchemy‘), this paper examines the (re)making of place through the lens of Black older women living in lower-income, urban neighbourhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Producing a specific number of vocalizations with purpose requires a sophisticated combination of numerical abilities and vocal control. Whether this capacity exists in animals other than humans is yet unknown. We show that crows can flexibly produce variable numbers of one to four vocalizations in response to arbitrary cues associated with numerical values. The acoustic features of the first vocalization of a sequence were predictive of the total number of vocalizations, indicating a planning process. Moreover, the acoustic features of vocal units predicted their order in the sequence and could be used to read out counting errors during vocal production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE To determine if a cytochrome (CYP) P450 enzyme inhibitor can maintain therapeutic plasma levels of voriconazole when administered orally. ANIMALS 11 healthy, common ravens (Corvus corax). METHODS Birds were randomly assigned to pilot study groups to receive voriconazole orally alone or combined with a CYP inhibitor. Pilot studies with 3 CYP inhibitors launched the main study using ciprofloxacin (20 mg/kg) followed 1 hour later by voriconazole (6 mg/kg) every 12 hours for 14 days. Plasma voriconazole concentrations were measured at various time points by HPLC-MS. The study period lasted from September 2016 to December 2020. RESULTS The birds failed to maintain therapeutic plasma levels of voriconazole during multidose administration alone or following preadministration with various CYP inhibitors. For the 14-day study period, voriconazole reached a maximum plasma concentration of 2.99 μg/mL with a time-to-peak drug concentration of 1.2 hours following preadministration of ciprofloxacin. One bird was removed from the study due to lethargy, but the other birds completed the study without incident. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Ciprofloxacin (20 mg/kg) followed by voriconazole (6 mg/kg) maintained the concentration of voriconazole within the recommended therapeutic range of 0.5 to 5 μg/mL without toxicity. Ciprofloxacin prevented the saturable metabolism of voriconazole and maintained these levels for the study duration. This drug combination could be used in the treatment of chronic aspergillosis in the common raven. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several species of birds deliberately drop hard food items, such as walnuts and molluscs, from high places to break the shell and eat the content. Although the carrion crow Corvus corone preys on the introduced apple snail Pomacea canaliculata by directly breaking the shells with their beaks in paddy fields in Japan, snails living in ponds are too large and hard for crows to directly break the shells. We found that carrion crows dropped apple snails in and around dried ponds in winter in Marugame, Kagawa, Japan, and conducted detailed observations on their predation behaviour. The crows dropped the snails onto various substrates in and around Hachijo Pond, and the release point was higher when the substrate was wet mud than when it was concrete, rock, or grass. As carrion crows rarely prey on other freshwater snails in Japan, this foraging behaviour has likely developed since the introduction of apple snails in the 1980s. The intense predation by the crows likely reduced the snail density in this reservoir pond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterizing the processes underlying reproductive isolation between diverging lineages is central to understanding speciation. Here, we present RIDGE—Reproductive Isolation Detection using Genomic polymorphisms—a tool tailored for quantifying gene flow barrier proportion and identifying the relevant genomic regions. RIDGE relies on an Approximate Bayesian Computation with a model‐averaging approach to accommodate diverse scenarios of lineage divergence. It captures heterogeneity in effective migration rate along the genome while accounting for variation in linked selection and recombination. The barrier detection test relies on numerous summary statistics to compute a Bayes factor, offering a robust statistical framework that facilitates cross‐species comparisons. Simulations revealed RIDGE's efficiency in capturing signals of ongoing migration. Model averaging proved particularly valuable in scenarios of high model uncertainty where no migration or migration homogeneity can be wrongly assumed, typically for recent divergence times <0.1 2Ne generations. Applying RIDGE to four published crow data sets, we first validated our tool by identifying a well‐known large genomic region associated with mate choice patterns. Second, while we identified a significant overlap of outlier loci using RIDGE and traditional genomic scans, our results suggest that a substantial portion of previously identified outliers are likely false positives. Outlier detection relies on allele differentiation, relative measures of divergence and the count of shared polymorphisms and fixed differences. Our analyses also highlight the value of incorporating multiple summary statistics including our newly developed outlier ones that can be useful in challenging detection conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prosocial behaviour (i.e. benefitting others without receiving a direct gain) has long been perceived as an evolutionary puzzle but is nevertheless relatively common among non‐human animals. Prosocial food provisioning has recently been documented in several large‐brained bird species, such as corvids and parrots. Yet, to date, little is known about which factors influence food provisioning in these species. Here, we investigated whether kinship, reciprocity and dominance affected food provisioning in the group service paradigm in three corvid species, namely azure‐winged magpies (Cyanopica cyana), carrion crows (Corvus corone) and common ravens (C. corax). In this paradigm, the subjects are tested in their regular social groups and can choose to make food available to their group members by landing on a simple seesaw apparatus. We found no evidence for an effect of kinship or reciprocity on food provisioning. Contrary to our predictions, the subjects' dominance was not positively correlated with their rate of food provisioning in any species. Among ravens, dominance was instead positively correlated with receiving food. We conclude that preferential provisioning for kin and direct reciprocity might have been impeded by the provider's inability to control who receives the food in the group service paradigm, but that our findings provide another piece of evidence that dominance is a highly important factor in the social interactions of common ravens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raven's progressive matrix (RPM) is one kind of visual abstract reasoning tasks, which tests the ability of extracting reasoning rules from limited samples and applying them to an unknown setting. It is frequently used in evaluating human intelligence. Recent advances of RPM-like datasets and solution models partially address the challenges of visually understanding the RPM questions and logically reasoning the missing answers. This paper tackles the challenges of the poor generalization performance due to insufficient samples in RPM datasets. To address the problem of insufficient data for precisely conducting relational reasoning in RPMs, we propose an effective scheme, namely candidate answer morphological mixup (CAM-Mix). CAM-Mix serves as a data augmentation strategy by gray-scale image morphological mixup, which regularizes various solution methods and overcomes the model overfitting problem. Compared with existing methods, a more accurate decision boundary could be defined by creating new negative candidate answers semantically similar to the correct answers. Experimental results show that the proposed data augmentation method on state-of-the-art RPM solution models can provide significant and consistent performance improvements on various RPM-like datasets compared with state-of-the-art solution models and other data augmentation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of research in maximum power point tracking (MPPT) methods is making significant progress with a wide range of techniques, from simple yet inefficient approaches to more complex but effective ones. Therefore, it is important to suggest a simple and effective strategy to control the global maximum power point (GMPP) of a photovoltaic (PV) system especially under partial shading conditions (PSC). This paper proposes a novel metaheuristic MPPT called the Crow Search Algorithm (CSA) to ameliorate the tracking performance of a grid connected shaded PV system. The CSA is a nature inspired method based on the intelligent behaviors of crows in its search process for hidden food sources. This novel method succeeds to mitigate the adverse impacts of partial shading on the performance of PV systems by accurately tracking the GMPP. Based on the small-signal dynamic model, the stability of the proposed system is analyzed. Simulation results for three different levels of partial shading, including zero, weak, and severe shading, demonstrate the better performance of the suggested CSA compared to fuzzy logic controller (FLC) and Inc-Cond techniques. In fact, the comparison is carried out in terms of simplicity of implementation, high efficiency, and low power loss, decreasing considerably the convergence time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the unique aspects of human cognition from a socio-cultural standpoint, focusing on the role of tools and language in human evolution and cognitive development. It emphasizes the influence of cultural factors and social contexts on the development of cognitive abilities. The article also explores the cognitive abilities of non-human primates, highlighting the differences between their social cognition and that of humans. It concludes by discussing the evolutionary and cultural aspects of human cognition and the transformative nature of language. The article provides a list of references that cover a range of perspectives and theories on cultural evolution, cognitive development, and social cognition in humans and other animals, which may be helpful for library patrons researching these topics. [Extracted from the article]

The emergence of consciousness from brain activity constitutes one of the great riddles in biology. It is commonly assumed that only the conscious perception of the presence of a stimulus elicits neuronal activation to signify a "neural correlate of consciousness," whereas the subjective experience of the absence of a stimulus is associated with a neuronal resting state. Here, we demonstrate that the two subjective states "stimulus present" and "stimulus absent" are represented by two specialized neuron populations in crows, corvid birds. We recorded single-neuron activity from the nidopallium caudolaterale of crows trained to report the presence or absence of images presented near the visual threshold. Because of the task design, neuronal activity tracking the conscious "present" versus "absent" percept was dissociated from that involved in planning a motor response. Distinct neuron populations signaled the subjective percepts of "present" and "absent" by increases in activation. The response selectivity of these two neuron populations was similar in strength and time course. This suggests a balanced code for subjective "presence" versus "absence" experiences, which might be beneficial when both conscious states need to be maintained active in the service of goal-directed behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integral characteristic of all predators is their size, which affects, among other things, their food preferences, and the ability of their prey to fight them off. Several studies have already found, unsurprisingly, that birds discriminate between and respond differently to predators of different sizes. The red-backed shrike, Lanius collurio , aggressively attacks the Eurasian jay, Garrulus glandarius , a common nest predator, whereas it remains passive towards the carrion crow, Corvus corone , which also commonly plunders passerine nests. A possible explanation may reside in the larger body size of crows. In our experiments, we exposed red-backed shrikes to downsized crow dummies and enlarged jay dummies. The shrikes responded to the largest jays with less aggression, suggesting that aggression towards the largest jays would increase risk of injury to parent shrikes and/or not increase the likelihood of offspring survival. In contrast, aggression increased only slightly towards the crows with reduced size. Thus, there was no general effect of body size on the attack rate of shrikes to the presented dummies. In the case of the crow, an alternative antipredator strategy, guarding and not attacking the predator, might affect the behaviour of some shrike parents. These results suggest that body size is one of the key parameters in the recognition of predators by red-backed shrikes, but it is evaluated differently in nest defence against two distinct predator species. • Predator size change affects red-backed shrike behaviour in a species-dependent way. • Enlarging the size of the jay dummy decreases the willingness to actively attack it. • Downsizing the crow dummy does not increase the willingness to actively attack it. • Shrikes use size as a key factor to determine the danger of a jay, but not a crow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cloud computing has gained significant recognition due to its ability to provide a broad range of online services and applications. Nevertheless, existing commercial cloud computing models demonstrate an appropriate design by concentrating computational assets, such as preservation and server infrastructure, in a limited number of large-scale worldwide data facilities. Optimizing the deployment of virtual machines (VMs) is crucial in this scenario to ensure system dependability, performance, and minimal latency. A significant barrier in the present scenario is the load distribution, particularly when striving for improved energy consumption in a hypothetical grid computing framework. This design employs load-balancing techniques to allocate different user workloads across several virtual machines. To address this challenge, we propose using the twin-fold moth flame technique, which serves as a very effective optimization technique. Developers intentionally designed the twin-fold moth flame method to consider various restrictions, including energy efficiency, lifespan analysis, and resource expenditures. It provides a thorough approach to evaluating total costs in the cloud computing environment. When assessing the efficacy of our suggested strategy, the study will analyze significant metrics such as energy efficiency, lifespan analysis, and resource expenditures. This investigation aims to enhance cloud computing techniques by developing a new optimization algorithm that considers multiple factors for effective virtual machine placement and load balancing. The proposed work demonstrates notable improvements of 12.15%, 10.68%, 8.70%, 13.29%, 18.46%, and 33.39% for 40 count data of nodes using the artificial bee colony-bat algorithm, ant colony optimization, crow search algorithm, krill herd, whale optimization genetic algorithm, and improved Lévy-based whale optimization algorithm, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document, titled "The Hooded Crow Revived, As Told By The Magpie," is a poem written by Daniel A. Rabuzzi. The poem is loosely based on the traditional Norwegian folksong "Kråkevisa" and tells the story of a crow that is killed by a farmer and its various body parts being used for different purposes. The poem explores themes of freedom, cunning, and the trickster nature of corvids. The author notes that the hooded crow mentioned in the poem is a distinct species found in Scandinavia, Scotland, Ireland, and eastern Europe. The magpie mentioned in the poem is the Eurasian species, which is related to the crow species found in western North America. [Extracted from the article]

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a highly contagious, fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by infectious prions (PrPCWD) affecting wild and captive cervids. Although experimental feeding studies have demonstrated prions in feces of crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), coyotes (Canis latrans), and cougars (Puma concolor), the role of scavengers and predators in CWD epidemiology remains poorly understood. Here we applied the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay to detect PrPCWD in feces from cervid consumers, to advance surveillance approaches, which could be used to improve disease research and adaptive management of CWD. We assessed recovery and detection of PrPCWD by experimental spiking of PrPCWD into carnivore feces from 9 species sourced from CWD-free populations or captive facilities. We then applied this technique to detect PrPCWD from feces of predators and scavengers in free-ranging populations. Our results demonstrate that spiked PrPCWD is detectable from feces of free-ranging mammalian and avian carnivores using RT-QuIC. Results show that PrPCWD acquired in natural settings is detectable in feces from free-ranging carnivores, and that PrPCWD rates of detection in carnivore feces reflect relative prevalence estimates observed in the corresponding cervid populations. This study adapts an important diagnostic tool for CWD, allowing investigation of the epidemiology of CWD at the community-level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation breeding program practitioners select potential mates in an attempt to maximize pair compatibility and maintain genetic diversity. Therefore, pair duration, or the number of breeding seasons that individuals retain the same mate, is practitioner-determined in these settings. There is a critical need to evaluate whether pair duration influences reproductive success in ex situ assurance populations, particularly for socially monogamous species. The 'Alalā (Hawaiian crow, Corvus hawaiiensis) is a monogamous forest bird that is currently extinct in the wild. Today, 'Alalā exist only in human care for intensive conservation breeding. We analyzed breeding program data from 2018-2021 to determine the effects of 'Alalā pair duration and age on reproduction (nest building, egg laying, hatching, and fledging). We found that pair duration does not influence reproductive outcomes, and thus practitioners can be more proactive when re-pairing birds. Female and male age, on the other hand, influenced the probability of nest building, clutch production, and overall reproductive success. Nest building and clutch production probabilities were high (near 1) and stable as females aged from 2 to ~ 12 years old, declining sharply thereafter. In males, overall reproductive success (from building robust nests to rearing at least one nestling to fledge) increased with age from 2 to ~ 9 years old, peaked and reached an asymptote with males ≳ 9 to ~ 13 years old, and decreased in males = 13 years old. Thus, integrating age into the pair selection process will increase the likelihood of achieving conservation goals. To our knowledge, we are the first to utilize empirical pair duration results to provide specific management recommendations for mate selection in an avian conservation breeding program. Our findings have critical utility for guiding 'Alalā pairing decisions, and more broadly underscore the importance of evaluating mate retention and selection protocols in other conservation breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many of the "signs and tokens" described in alchemical texts relate to colour, from the Crow's Bill signifying putrefaction to the philosophical solvents disguised as Green Lions, Red Dragons, and Grey Wolves. While the process of yellowing, or citrination, often appears in medieval recipes, it seems to have interested commentators less than the more familiar processes of blackening, whitening, or reddening. Yet beyond these canonical colours, yellowness turns out to be ubiquitous in alchemy and its associated craft practices, both in Latin texts and vernacular translations. This paper uses source criticism and experimental reconstruction to interrogate the role of yellowness at the beginning, middle, and end of practice, focusing on fifteenth- and sixteenth-century England. As starting ingredients, yellow vitriol and litharge offered the potential for transmutation but also posed problems for identification and preparation. As an intermediate stage, yellowness offered promising signs of future success, in the form of dramatic colour changes and unexpected products. But yellowness also offered an end in itself, as appears from the many citrination processes attested in recipe collections which aimed to imitate the properties of gold – suggesting that yellowing was prized as a significant indicator of chemical change across diverse areas of craft practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic and genomic data are increasingly used to aid conservation management of endangered species by providing insights into evolutionary histories, factors associated with extinction risks, and potential for future adaptation. For the 'Alalā, or Hawaiian crow (Corvus hawaiiensis), genetic concerns include negative correlations between inbreeding and hatching success. However, it is unclear if low genetic diversity and inbreeding depression are consequences of a historical population bottleneck, or if 'Alalā had historically low genetic diversity that predated human influence, perhaps as a result of earlier declines or founding events. In this study, we applied a hybridization-based sequence capture to generate a genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dataset for comparing historical specimens collected in the 1890s, when 'Alalā were more numerous, to samples taken between 1973 and 1998, when 'Alalā population densities were near the lowest documented levels in the wild, prior to all individuals being collected for captive rearing. We found low genome-wide diversity in both sample groups, however, the modern sample group (1973 to 1998 cohort) exhibited relatively fewer polymorphic alleles, a lower proportion of polymorphic loci, and lower observed heterozygosity, consistent with a population decline and potential bottleneck effects. These results combined with a current low population size highlight the importance of continued efforts by conservation managers to mitigate inbreeding and maintain founder representation to preserve what genetic diversity remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study of the holotype and only known material of the purportedly extinct corvid species 'Corvus fangshannus' from the late Middle or Late Pleistocene locality 3 of the UNESCO Zhoukoudian 'Peking Man' site in Beijing, China, documents its identification instead as a member of the sedentary Northern Raven (Corvus corax) lineage. Shared features of the humerus including those consistent with species of Corvus (protruding ventral tubercle and rounded and not prominent bicipital crest) and a combination of features (including overall size and the presence of a concave ventral margin where the ventral supracondylar tubercle projects ventral to the diaphysis) help to support the allocation of this Pleistocene material to that particular species' lineage. Ravens do not occur historically within the Beijing Municipality, and this reidentified fossil is the first record from the area. When considered alongside a similar extralimital record based on a recently reported Middle Pleistocene raven skull from Liaoning Province, these fossils together may indicate that the Northern Raven's prehistoric geographic distribution in northeastern China encompassed a broader area south of its current distribution extending to ~ 40–41 degrees latitude. Changes to the raven's geographic distribution likely are linked to shifts between cooler and drier climates and warmer ones, along with their interactions with extinct non-analogous vertebrate communities of the Pleistocene. These ravens would have scavenged alongside hyenas, other large mammalian carnivores, and even early humans in northern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most bird species, parents raise offspring cooperatively. In some cases, this cooperation extends to helpers‐at‐the‐nest who assist the breeders with a range of tasks.While cooperative food provisioning might merely arise incidentally, as a result of the efforts of carers that act independently from each other, recent studies suggest that birds may coordinate by taking turns in visiting the nest. However, evidence that such coordination emerges because individuals actively respond to each other's behaviour is controversial, and the potential benefits of carers' alternation remain unknown.We addressed this knowledge gap by analysing a multiyear dataset for cooperatively breeding carrion crows Corvus corone, comprising 8693 nest visits across 50 groups.Our results reveal that turn‐taking does occur in this species and that all group members, regardless of their sex and social role (breeder/helper), tend to alternate at the nest with other carers rather than to make repeat visits.Importantly, we found that the body mass of nestlings increased significantly with the degree of carers' alternation, possibly because well‐coordinated groups provided food at more regular intervals.Using earlier monitoring data, the observed increase in body mass is predicted to substantially boost postfledging survival rates. Our analyses demonstrate that alternation in nestling provisioning has measurable fitness benefits in this study system.This raises the possibility that cooperatively breeding carrion crows, as well as other bird species with similarly coordinated brood provisioning, exhibit specialized behavioural strategies that enable effective alternation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case report describes the treatment and recovery process of an immature large-billed crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) with a fractured humerus, and evaluates treatment outcomes. The crow suffered a closed fracture of the left distal humerus due to physical trauma caused by falling from its nest. Noninvasive, conservative methods were used instead of a surgical approach, and stepwise rehabilitation followed the treatment. The crow was successfully released back into nature and has adapted to the environment without difficulties, even with anatomical asymmetry caused by the malunion of the humerus. It was concluded that an anatomical impairment caused by the malunion of the humerus can be overcome in terms of functionality, depending on the severity of the impairment. Therefore, the chance of survival of an injured wild animal in nature must be evaluated considering functional recovery and the potential for adaptation. The results of this case emphasize the need for a release evaluation method that comprehensively considers different factors, such as the species, ecological niche, characteristic habits and behaviors, and the eventual habitat of the animal patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

House crow is important concerning economy, ecology and culture. Reports are available regarding decline in house crow population. In contrast to this some countries are running eradication programs against this creature. In these circumstances it is logical to find population trend of house crow. We recorded the spatio-temporal variation in house crow population at certain part of the city Prayagraj (U.P.), India. The total numbers of crow were enumerated through direct roost count method at 12 different roosting sites visited fortnightly. Student t-test and one way ANOVA were performed and data were represented with graphs using MS excel (version 2007). Hike in house crow population in consecutive years 2020 (2385.66±323.73), 2021 (2586.16±321.73) and 2022 (2792.00±337.69) was significant (p<0.0001). Population was at its peak during October to February, while lowest in June and July. Annual average population at each roost sites was also fluctuating. The mean population of house crow was significantly lower in the breeding season (2333.70±275.88) than in non-breeding season (2841.97±102.59)(p<0.0001). Differences in mean population during summer (2386.20±335.19), monsoon (2450.83±280.02) and winter (2855.95±104.94) were significant for all comparisons (p<0.001). Thus, the population of house crow was shown to rising for last few years at least in studied area. Easily available human refuses/garbage, dead carcasses, highly opportunistic feeding and breeding habit may be reason for increasing trend in house crow population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses Suzanne Pinckney Stetkevych's book, "The Cooing of the Dove and the Cawing of the Crow," which focuses on the late ¿Abb¿sid poet Ab¿ al-¿Al¿¿ al-Ma¿arr¿ and his major diwans, Saq¿ al-Zand and Luz¿m M¿ L¿ Yalzam. The book examines al-Ma¿arr¿'s evolution as a poet and analyzes his poems using performance-based and stylistics-based approaches. It provides valuable insights into al-Ma¿arr¿'s use of traditional literary conventions and his innovative approach to poetry. The author of the article praises the fresh and innovative approach of Suzanne Pinckney Stetkevych, which offers new perspectives for analyzing Arabic poetry and non-Western comparative literature. [Extracted from the article]

Self-control underlies goal-directed behaviour in humans and other animals. Delayed gratification ‐ a measure of self-control ‐ requires the ability to tolerate delays and/or invest more effort to obtain a reward of higher value over one of lower value, such as food or mates. Social context, in particular, the presence of competitors, may influence delayed gratification. We adapted the 'rotating-tray' paradigm, where subjects need to forgo an immediate, lower-quality (i.e. less preferred) reward for a delayed, higher-quality (i.e. more preferred) one, to test social influences on delayed gratification in two corvid species: New Caledonian crows and Eurasian jays. We compared choices for immediate vs. delayed rewards while alone, in the presence of a competitive conspecific and in the presence of a non-competitive conspecific. We predicted that, given the increased risk of losing a reward with a competitor present, both species would similarly, flexibly alter their choices in the presence of a conspecific compared to when alone. We found that species differed: jays were more likely to select the immediate, less preferred reward than the crows. We also found that jays were more likely to select the immediate, less preferred reward when a competitor or non-competitor was present than when alone, or when a competitor was present compared to a non-competitor, while the crows selected the delayed, highly preferred reward irrespective of social presence. We discuss our findings in relation to species differences in socio-ecological factors related to adult sociality and food-caching (storing). New Caledonian crows are more socially tolerant and moderate cachers, while Eurasian jays are highly territorial and intense cachers that may have evolved under the social context of cache pilfering and cache protection strategies. Therefore, flexibility (or inflexibility) in delay of gratification under different social contexts may relate to the species' social tolerance and related risk of competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsidized predators are animals whose populations proliferate through association with humans. As subsidized predators, birds in the family Corvidae (Corvus spp., crows and ravens) pose an additive mortality threat to turtle eggs, juveniles, and, in some cases, adults. In this synthesis, I (1) review published and unpublished case studies of corvids as predators of chelonians, (2) examine regional population trends of corvids relative to the status of co-occurring chelonian species, and (3) evaluate our current understanding of subsidized corvids as threats to chelonians. Hyperpredation of chelonians by corvids is geographically widespread, locally severe where and when predation occurs, facilitated by anthropogenic subsidies (e.g., food, water, and perching, nesting, and roosting sites) and linear corridors (e.g., roads, electrical infrastructure), commonly associated with nesting corvids as predators, and co-occurring with corvid population increases. Hyperpredation by corvids appears to affect demographically sensitive stages of chelonian populations (juveniles and reproductive females) and very likely has long-term detrimental consequences given the slow life history of chelonians. The threat posed to chelonian populations by subsidized corvids is more widespread than currently recognized on the basis of substantial regional increases in corvid populations, the underreporting of predation observations, and the broad geographic areas over which hyperpredation of chelonians is occurring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on observing interactions between Sharp-shinned Hawks and prey at bird feeders during winter in an urban backyard. Topics include the behavior of Sharp-shinned Hawks when faced with attempts by Black-billed Magpies to steal their prey, changes in predator-prey interactions due to the concentration of birds at feeding stations, and the increased presence of both hawks and magpies at urban bird feeders during winter.