New Scientist recently ran an article about crows making up after a fight, or keeping their distance from another crow they had beaten (6 January). So how do crows tell each other apart? They look alike to me.
• Crows look alike to you because you can’t see in the ultraviolet. Most birds can, and the plumage of crows, which to us looks mostly black, is elaborately detailed when seen under ultraviolet light.
There are also many matt and iridescent colours in corvid feathers. Seen close up, even with human eyes, the plumage is marvellously patterned.
Differences in plumage colouration…
