Crows Use 1-4 Calls to Count, Study Finds Ancient Math Roots

Q: What will Andreas Nieder's 2027 book finally reveal about the secret minds of crows?

Andreas Nieder’s 2027 book is expected to show that crows have far richer inner lives than their reputation as clever scavengers suggests, with evidence that they possess core building blocks of numerical thought, probabilistic reasoning and intentional vocal control. Drawing on more than 15 years of research, *The Incredible Intelligence of Crows and What It Means to Have a Mind*, due March 2, 2027, will likely synthesize findings that crows can distinguish quantities, place an empty set at the start of a number line as a form of “zero,” and make choices based on reward probabilities. Those results matter because Nieder’s lab has linked the behavior to selective neural activity, arguing these are not simple trained tricks but genuine mental representations. The book is also likely to highlight work showing that crows can plan and control their own calls, producing specific numbers of vocalizations in response to cues. That suggests a rare degree of volitional control in birds and points to a cognitive system capable of turning abstract numerical information into deliberate action. More broadly, Nieder’s central message is expected to be that crow intelligence illuminates the evolutionary roots of mind itself. By comparing crows with monkeys and preverbal human infants, he argues that the foundations of mathematics and complex thought did not begin with humans, or even mammals, but are part of an ancient cognitive inheritance that evolved hundreds of millions of years ago.

3 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Jun 17

A recent Science study trained crows to produce 1 to 4 calls in response to visual or auditory cues, showing they can use vocalizations to count.
Researchers found the birds appeared to prepare the target number before calling, suggesting numerical information guides a self-generated sequence of actions rather than a simple reflex.
Andreas Nieder of the University of Tübingen said the result adds to evidence that crows treat quantities abstractly, including placing zero before one and choosing higher-reward signs with probabilities from 90% down to 10%.
Those parallels with primates and preverbal human infants suggest core building blocks of mathematical thinking may have evolved more than 360 million years before humans developed formal math.

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Livescience.com14h ago

Study Shows Crows Use Vocalizations to Count Numbers

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In a groundbreaking study, scientists have discovered that crows possess a surprising level of numerical intelligence previously thought to be uniquely human. Not only can these birds count, but they can vocalize

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Throughout history, people noticed the remarkable intelligence of crows. Farmers, hunters, and naturalists recorded their problem-solving abilities and caution around humans. Indigenous cultures in North America frequently included crows and ravens in

How do bird brains perform primate-like math without the same complex structures?

If crows understand abstract concepts like zero, what cognitive abilities are truly unique to humans?

What will Andreas Nieder's 2027 book finally reveal about the secret minds of crows?

Carrion Crows’ Vocal Counting Reveals Advanced Numerical Cognition and Brain Parallels With Humans

Overview

In May 2024, scientists made a groundbreaking discovery that carrion crows can vocally count, showing a sophisticated mix of numerical understanding and vocal control. This finding challenges long-held beliefs about animal intelligence and reveals that crows can purposefully produce a specific number of calls in response to different cues. Remarkably, the first sound a crow makes can predict how many calls it plans to give, suggesting that crows plan their vocal sequences ahead of time. This research sheds new light on animal cognition, highlighting complex abilities once thought unique to humans.

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Livescience.com14h ago

Study Shows Crows Use Vocalizations to Count Numbers

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Facebook14h ago

Crows Use 1-4 Calls to Count, Study Finds Ancient Math Roots

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Carrion Crows’ Vocal Counting Reveals Advanced Numerical Cognition and Brain Parallels With Humans

Overview

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