Study
Tool bending in New Caledonian crows
Rutz, Christian; Sugasawa, Shoko; van der Wal, Jessica E. M.; Klump, Barbara C.; St Clair, James J. H.
Royal Society Open Science, 2016
Wild New Caledonian crows were caught, kept briefly in field aviaries and given tool-making tasks, then released. Their handling of plant material was recorded in detail.
- Studied in
- Corvus moneduloides
- Sample size
- temporarily captured wild birds tested and released
Birds routinely bent plant material while making tools, and hooked tools were produced as a matter of course rather than as a rare feat.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
Tool bending is part of the species' normal manufacturing behaviour, which should inform how earlier laboratory demonstrations are interpreted.
How NatureHQ reads it
A good example of research improving an existing story rather than replacing it. The 2002 wire-bending result was real; what changed is the explanation. This is why NatureHQ keeps the original study, the reframing, and the relationship between them, instead of quietly rewriting the first one.
- Short-term captivity may affect behaviour.
- Does not directly test what the earlier laboratory bird understood.
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: The Royal SocietyPublished by the Royal Society.
This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref and OpenAlex on 2026-08-11.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-09.