A Japanese professor has grappled with the crow problem in Japanese cities.

Shoei Sugita, a professor of animal morphology at Utsunomiya University, has conducted numerous studies in an effort to find ways to humanely control the crow population in Japan, which consists of both carrion crows and jungle crows.

Working mainly with jungle crows, his team has shown that crows are capable of distinguishing between, and remembering, shapes, symbols, quantities, and colors.

“Our study has shown that the crows thought and used their memories to take action,” Sugita said.

Crows are a major nuisance in many Japanese cities, particularly Tokyo, where they rummage through rubbish left out for collection.

The study was part-funded by Chubu Electric Power Company, in an effort to improve anti-nesting measures and protect the towers supporting power cables.

Sugita says his work proves crows are intelligent creatures and measures used to foil them need to be carefully thought out.

“This study shows that there is no good way (to counter crows). But we can use their memories against them to create new measures,” Sugita said

Source: Crows distinguish shapes, symbols, quantities.

Source: Crows remember colors for a year.

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