• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • WordPress
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
Science Update

Science Update

Sharing Science | Satisfying Curiosity | Debunking BS

  • Spotlights
  • Reality Check
  • Why Is It?
  • Radio Archives
  • Sciup @ School
Home » Radio Archive » Daily Show » Crow Mobbing

Crow Mobbing

January 3, 2014
https://podcast.scienceupdate.com/140103_sciup_mob.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window

BOB HIRSHON (host):

Crow mobs. I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.

800px-Redtail_hawk_chased_by_crows_4391
Crows mob a red-tailed hawk. (Dori/Wikipedia)

Crows can often be seen chasing after hawks. But why do something that puts themselves in danger? University of Washington wildlife scientist John Marzluff explains that on balance, mobbing, which rarely leads to fatalities, can be worth the risk.

JOHN MARZLUFF (University of Washington):

There is a great benefit and that is it moves a predator out of an area. It also has probably a social benefit, and that is the birds that are typically involved in the most aggressive mobbing are probably demonstrating their dominance. In these corvid societies there’s oftentimes  the need to re-eestablish or re-advertise your dominance.

HIRSHON:

In laboratory studies, Marzluff and his team have shown that when a crow sees a hawk, an area of the brain involved in decision-making becomes active. This suggests that they actively calculate the risks and benefits of mobbing in different situations. I’m Bob Hirshon, for AAAS, the science society.

 

Category: Daily Show, Station DownloadTag: Animal Behavior, Biology, Wildlife
Previous Post:The Lyrebird’s Dance
Next Post:Mosquito Sweet Tooth

Sidebar

Radio Program Archives

Want to learn more about the brain? The environment? Here you can browse the topics that come up regularly on Science Update.

Search the Archives

Categories

  • Daily Show
  • Station Download
  • Weekly Show

Find By Tag

  • 2020
  • Acoustics & Sound
  • Aging
  • Animal Behavior
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Astronomy & Space
  • Biology
  • Brain Science
  • Bugs
  • Cat Video
  • Chemistry
  • Children & Families
  • cicadas
  • Climate & Weather
  • Communications
  • Computer Science
  • Economics & Business
  • Education
  • Energy
  • Engineering & Technology
  • Environment & Conservation
  • Genetics & Evolution
  • Geology
  • Marine Science
  • Materials Science
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine & Health
  • Microbiology
  • Nanotechnology
  • NASA
  • Nutrition & Food Science
  • Paleontology & Dinosaurs
  • Physics
  • Plants & Agriculture
  • Political Science
  • Reality Check
  • Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • Sports & Fitness
  • spotlight
  • Spotlight Bugs
  • Terrorism & War
  • Why Is It? Questions
  • Wildlife
  • Year in Review

Find By Date

Science Update
  • About Science Update
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

Image of computer screen depicting an orange cat with a variety of alphanumeric scientific data superimposed on the the screen.
Spotted skunk performing handstand to threaten predators

Copyright © 2025 · Springtail Media LLC · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Pongos