Bush Crows: They live under a “natural hood” in a tiny territory and cannot go beyond it. What kind of cap is this? (9 photos)

Bush crows are confusing in their ambiguity. At first glance, they look like almost ideal birds: strong, intelligent and independent animals that easily cope with everyday difficulties. But dig deeper and you will be surprised to discover that these are domestic flowers that are in danger of extinction from the slightest sneeze.





And how can you not fall in love with such handsome men?

The physical qualities of ravens make a purely positive impression. The bird is medium in size (slightly larger than a blackbird) and has a dense build and a strong beak. It seems that she can survive any disaster, that she is no worse than our corvids, although she is not their direct relative.



When a bird is excited, the blue circles around its eyes become brighter.

Watch the birds for a few days and you will be even more convinced of this. Their whole way of life looks reliable, tested many times and works in any conditions. At dawn, bush crows descend from the acacia trees to the ground to get food for themselves. Neither rain nor severe heat stops their search for food.





Insect hunter at the mine.

Every morning, birds, alone and in companies of up to 10 individuals, dig through the grass, sand and rotten wood in search of arthropods. They especially favor caterpillars and termites, but are able to feed on almost any protein encased in chitin. In the process of searching for food, the animals constantly maintain contact with each other, which allows them to avoid a sudden attack by predators. If even one bird spots a potential enemy, all bush crows within a radius of several hundred meters will return to the thorny acacias.



Bush crows are good fliers, but they spend most of their lives on the ground or in bushes.

Even in love affairs they have a complete idyll. No bloody fights or annual noisy bazaars. The female chooses a candidate for herself, after which they conduct a couple of compatibility tests: they throw twigs from a tree and chase each other. If the result of the test satisfies both, the lovers will be faithful to each other until the grave.



Male and female bush crows do not differ from each other in appearance.

And they will also build a nest together. The house, by the way, will be gorgeous: the dwelling hidden in the bushes consists of 3 layers. First, the crows will weave a supporting frame from stiff branches. Then they will strengthen it with manure. Sun-dried feces securely hold the structure together. Well, inside the builders will scatter dry grass and wool.



Since the frame of the nest is woven from thorny branches, it provides good protection.

In such conditions, 5-6 children feel amazing. Their parents look after them together, so everyone gets food and love. Sometimes parents even get help from neighbors or offspring from a previous clutch. Therefore, babies almost always grow to maturity in full force.



Raven chicks are almost no different from the chicks of other birds.

And with all these numerous advantages, the species is on the verge of extinction. Bush crows occupy a microscopic range in southern Ethiopia. And most importantly: outside their range there are plenty of acacia thickets they love, the same insects and predators live, and people still don’t bother the birds. But for some reason they stubbornly refuse to settle into new territories.



And large ungulates (with tasty fleas on them) also live outside their range.

It took several decades to solve this riddle. And the result turned out to be very strange. It turned out that bush crows live in a kind of air bubble, the average annual temperature of which is slightly lower than in the surrounding area. The difference is so small that it is unnoticeable to people. But for crows, a slight increase in temperature will be extremely destructive.



And such information does not make scientists very happy. If the birds suffered from the activities of farmers, lack of food or harmful parasites, their lives could still be protected. But it is impossible to protect the species from climate change. What is especially frightening in the context of global warming. Once the invisible cap collapses, the lives of the birds will not be worth a penny.