What crows teach us about death | Kaeli Swift

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Rituals for the dead span much of the natural world, seen in practices from humans and elephants to bees, dolphins and beyond. With charm and playful insight, animal behaviorist Kaeli Swift delves into the life (and death) habits of crows and shares what their responses could reveal about our own relationship to mortality.
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[@sarahwinterbottom6266]

This is a little of the subject, but I had an interesting encounter with a dying crow although I did not know it was dying for about two days until it died,,, the story begins , one afternoon I was sitting in my garden when a crow came at sat next to me as if it was lonely so I thought, it stayed with me that day and all day the next day as if it needed me or was feeling insecure or something I did not really know, then it died , and I understood ,I think it knew it was dying and was frightend and needed company for it's last moments on Earth, I was honoured that it chose me,,

[@cookimonster1251]

Rip crow brought AHH tear to my eye

[@krishnavamsi820]

woah 👏👏👏

[@kevinsbott]

Amazing story, thank you for sharing.

[@TheOriginalDaveJ]

Did you bury it?

[@pragunahuja7881]

Was it tasty?

[@ThyBookie]

This woman gave my class a presentation on crow funerals in a class I was in and she was awesome! Kaeli even did a live demonstration. She is well informed and clearly very passionate about her subject! She worked in John Marzluff’s lab if I’m remembering correctly.

[@AlkisGD]

1) Comparative thanatology is possibly the most metal scientific field. 2) The crowd in this talk seems dead.

[@Englishdotcom1]

There is a lesson in everything.

[@GarikTate]

I'm more confused when I started. But I think that's the point.

[@Suggestion_Box_Full]

What about geese...I live on a migratory route Wich is also close to a main road...when one who is mated is hit,the grievance party will stay for days, trying to move it from the road...I have seen this multiple times throughout my time living here...I also had a house rat,she was smashed by the kids in the door,my 90lb dog mourned for days,licking the floor where she dies and guarding this spot for about 3days...even after cleaning she still visits this spot to this day...

[@liam4523]

I hope your house rat rests in peace, that’s a very wholesome story for you to share

[@skyscraper908]

@@liam4523 LMAO

[@daddyleon]

10:22 next time when someone dies and says: "everyone mourns in their own way, there is no right or wrong" - just keep this video clip in might and call them out on what their actual intent might be,

[@srinivasams9323]

In India we say crows are our ancestors and we feed crows when someone dies now I understand why.

[@ni3070]

Good that we have started understanding

[@noshdavid3919]

@Srikanth Bollampally can you please explain how this Ted talk relates to our Indian custom? The Ted talk just speaks about how crows use death in their own species as a danger signal and you're talking that it is related to Indian belief of treating our ancestors as crows. I don't see a correlation at all.

[@palpalrai9970]

@@noshdavid3919 if you're indian and appreciate its culture and science u will understand

[@noshdavid3919]

@@palpalrai9970 yes I am Indian and I do appreciate certain aspects of my culture. Still I don't understand how they came to this conclusion from this Ted talk. Please enlighten me.

[@punjabpunjab1973]

INDIA DIYA SHAD DE GALLA BHARA

[@daddyleon]

7:40 wow, I can imagine that could look terrifying, not because of the mask, but because the human is acting so weird: holding one of your own in their hands, standing still for half an hour, then going away...then coming back without one of your own, what could this mean? You've never seen this before.

[@ethanpetrea6164]

solid ted talk from a solid speaker

[@Dray.TheChosen1]

Keep the faith, hold on. Things will get better. It might be stormy now, but it can't rain forever.

[@charlietube7165]

What place is that in your photo

[@Dray.TheChosen1]

@@charlietube7165 Toronto My friend! where are you from?

[@charlietube7165]

@@Dray.TheChosen1 I saw that tower I thought was Dubai anyway, I'm from Sydney

[@SKSillSKSill]

I caught that. 😂 -The Crow

[@jasonfirewalker3595]

I once buried a raven in a graveyard under a full moon. You should try it.

[@Ravioli-uw9uy]

That sounds lit

[@charlietube7165]

So you have power now? Can you clean up the trash in the ocean

[@daddyleon]

*+Jason Firewalker* Was it dead already? *+Nature Owns* Surely it's the ability to walk over fire without getting hurt, no?

[@jasonfirewalker3595]

@@daddyleon it was.

[@daddyleon]

@@jasonfirewalker3595 Oh, then you're lucky that it worked! Normally it takes more of a sacrifice, you know?

[@ezmonkey12]

"Linda" will definitely be the feature star of a nightmare of mine in the near future...

[@TheLivirus]

_"You're basically seeing a confluence of three behaviors..."_ Desecration, cannibalism and necrophilia?

[@evantyler8647]

Lol

[@daddyleon]

Ah, the 3 most important of the 7 true virtues!

[@TheLivirus]

​@@daddyleon Makes me wonder about the next 4...

[@daddyleon]

@@TheLivirus Yes, I know! They are treats too. But we're not a very evangelist religion, you have to be born into them. Sorry. I might already have said more than I should. As we say: May the light of the fire burn brightly on your visage.

[@abhishekmukherjee4857]

This lady has a cool 80s vibe in her, even though she is talking about something sad, the overall vibe feels positive ✨

[@mind-of-neo]

A perfect, normal Ted talk 👍

[@pyschologygeek]

crows will avoid an area or thing that is deemed dangerous to their own species. In other words, they know what death is and know to fear it.

[@tarekmorocco9004]

It's true they're mentioned in the Quran, when Caän killed Able he didn't know what to do so Allah sent a crow to berry another crow so he could watch and learn what to do ... . Very interesting look it up you never know what may become of you after you learn more about this subject ...

[@ven.lamanamgyal5269]

VERY! Shortly AFTER watching this 'viddy' CROWS [or Ravens mebbe...?] Dunno! did they croak 'NEVERMORE...? Can't say its'a boot eh...? 3-4 AM inna morning but NO'cheet Mon: They thar 4 REEL!? - i think - ask'd a Jo'burg film-maker pal'o'mine Rich Stanley [good to see he's KEPT AT IT TURNING OUT 'THE WORK! -- Allus' wuz one for PERSEVERANCE & Perdurabo Rich!]' - we agreed they Were REAL Live CROWS [or ravens] ....that was some 13 years ago... BUT! just this morning 3:23 AM onna DOT! they were still thar'.... Life IS! BIZARRE: Yes'tiddy I WAS TAKEN HOSTAGE, standing by a Closed Cineemaa, 'taser'd' by a little 'cookie'selling' scout pushing her biscuits I'd Imagine summerz' near The Entrance. 'Twas shaped curiously like a Vesica Piscis, a mathematical shape formed by the intersection of two disks with the same radius - more uv'a Meniscus, ack'chew'ally; quite like Little-Greata Wham'a'Bama, my childhood stolen DISABUSED of ALL NO'tionalism tied down to A Funky-Film: a 'Movie', a 'talkie' in DOLBY w/a 'REEL-as-LIFE' Wrap-Around SMELL-O-VISION SCREEN....More of a 4-D VIDEO-AUDIO HAPPENING Rilly! [Drensh'd in IODINE & ROT-10 FIG Peelings stinking of damp-diapers] Quite The EVENT: OH-Oh-OH: Orgasmic? rather!.....i'd say....but! nobody asked me...? HOW DARE THEY!!!! GARISH-LIVID-PROTOPLASMIC COLOURS Outa' Espazio....like a Louche Left-Bank Bistro from an Outre Arondissiment 50-60 yrs ago in Paree' ['Pranavizhun' I think they call'd it!?] Or? Summun put'sum AYA''HUAS'CAR in my babee-boddle...i guess? ENLIGHTENMENT HITS! Like a Baseball bat w/a Nail in it!! Since Then: I've learn'd BY ROTE to be MORE THAN Flexible...One UP-side will be askin' uh Wander in' Rebbe 'How to Read a Title' in Hebrew, Had 'quote marks' between a lot of the letters ["HAVA"NAGILA"VEY''ISH''MUHAH!] WAY! harder then Thibetan! ...just so you know! -- I KNOW! I'll be told: "...They're a convention meaning, 'THIS is NOT a Word!'..." THIS 'Infinity Film', I did not ASK to SEE '''IT''' - 'THEY' [The PROPRIETORS...I suppose...?] Bought me in LATE: onna' cheep! i.e. some no-brainer snowfake 'timewaster' 'bout a 'ticket'...? OUTA' SHEER Courtesy - Sleek as My Gal-Palz silk-stockings 'THEY' Found me a SEAT - I was Blind, Hobbled, Deaf & Spoke ONLY a crazy UN_intelligible 'gemisch' of BRAILLE & AMERSLAN... ....ga'head 'write-back' all the foul flames of Nastiness you want - I've disabled all rep*LIES - I'll Never KNOW you sent a thing - I'll never visit the page again!! Aside from the CROWS this is the ONLY TRUE thing that is writ on it - MY Words! And Having Writ, the Hand of Destiny Across The Sands, The Silent Sands of Time...Moves ON! Mek'Toub! - Kes'Mat...an' ALL THAT! ...and that is THAT! BUT! from my Earlierr Incarnation [tulku] as a Monk on a high & lofty Greek & Eerie Island Eyre I'll say A Hundred 'KYRIES', [Kyrie! Elai'son! CHRISTE Elai'son CHRISTE! Kyr'ion!] JUST! - For the one-two KIND! Hearts that'll write somethin' lovely, from the Lisa'an-al'-Gha'aib: I Hear We'll Be N'EDEN 'EM! You BETCHA! Now I'M Stuck Here in the Middle W/You! -> SO? .....from the Heart that Beats! ...The Tari'qat-al-Qalb.....'Path-with-Heart' (for those underprivs NO Arabic speeky) - '...OMNIA EXEUNT IN MYSTERIUM....! OMNIA EXEUNT IN MYSTERIUM TREMENDUM....TREMENDUM et FASCINANS! - LIFE'S A WIN-WIN THING! oh well...erm? eye-reee! an'ALL! 'MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO', I alllus SAY...! C U LAMA NAMGYAL RINPOCHE

[@tarekmorocco9004]

@@ven.lamanamgyal5269 i couldn't read what you said there amigo .

[@DeLaSoul246]

A crow once dive-bombed my head. I had sparkly sunglasses on and I thought it liked them. Now I can't decide if I'd rather that it tried to steal my shinies or it thought I was a threat... I guess I'd rather it was a happy thief than an anxious fighter.

[@MelissanMike-gv7ix]

I have a family of raven I feed. They are funny creatures!

[@schnieti]

Wow how wonderful!

[@crochunter35]

I saw the Dead Crows in concert at Red Rocks last year.

[@dr.buzzvonjellar8862]

Humanity is just beginning to realize the supreme intelligence of the biosphere it’s embedded in. Why? Because we’re incredibly self involved. The biosphere has been there for our entire existence.

[@happyhermit2022]

Fascinating thank you

[@martynjames5963]

A lot of animals, including birds, are really quite smart. Smarter than we think. And yes, they do feel. When a bird gets killed on the road, sometimes you can see it's partner watching from the side. It stays for quite a while. It's just common sense. They have a sense of loss. No need to study it.

[@jordanaubrey-realestateinv334]

We can learn something from every part of life.

[@spooky8321]

Fun fact: crows are one of the smartest birds

[@sharonproctor4079]

That's not saying much. Birds are extremely dumb. Hence the saying Bird brain. My Zoology professor told us this was true.

[@sakshimakkad7520]

Ya, they are

[@d.s4082]

@@sharonproctor4079 what’s Zoology

[@SHREDTILLDEAD]

@@d.s4082 Is that a serious question?

[@d.s4082]

@@SHREDTILLDEAD did it seem like i was joking ? but too late now that’s what google is for

[@cheater185]

Crows be like its Flipping linda!!!

[@fitnesswithsteve]

If a group of crows are loitering they get charged with murder.

[@JohnVKaravitis]

It's a conspiracy, I be ravin'!

[@nosebleedpuddle]

You caw that a joke?

[@thewilltosurvive9826]

This quacked me up

[@sergioc.6431]

I might be an old bird but back in my day we didn't take this death talk so lightly. Now show some respect and quit them jokes.

[@tmcche7881]

You will be eating crow for falsely calling them a bunch of murderers.

[@pragunahuja7881]

That crow took the Step Sister getting stuck to a whole new level

[@lightintheart]

If the crows had known the actual dead crow rather than the fake one you provided, is it possible that the crows could have reacted differently? I was at my friend's house recording music. During a break, I went outside into the back yard and noticed crows flying up above making crow noises. I, then, proceeded to find a dead crow on the ground. I immediately assumed that it was the connection between the crows up above. I requested my friend to come outside and to burry it into the ground. He said it had been there for a few days and was meaning to take care of it and I urged him to while offering my help. I've always been fascinated with birds and I give them my love and respect by taking time to listen to them. I find their feathers in my path. One was so amazing because of the timing and placement. I just arrived to one of the places I work. I open the car door, put my foot left foot on the ground and as I look down at the ground I find a large crow feather right there at my feet. I appreciate this TedTalk and your humor (dead crow hors d'oeuvres, yum! and definitely, Hannibal Lecter much.) I honestly feel that if one day no birds were ever to exist, it would be a very lonely world.

[@KateeAngel]

Thanatophiliac crows are something strange, to be honest I was not expecting that

[@JorgeRodriguez-iq7vb]

And after 13 minutes, back to square one.

[@svahas]

My visually impaired crow lived with me for thirty years. When he died and I fell asleep; he woke me up in the spirit world, by sitting on my knee and cawing

[@pndeepak]

30 years? 🤔

[@justaregularhumanbeing]

How 30, years ?

[@svahas]

@@justaregularhumanbeing Yes, tame crows can live up to sixty years. I used to tell him when he was thirty, that he was just middle aged!

[@Creepzza]

Wow, cool.

[@growmance2191]

i saw crows a week before my Great Aunt Mary died and the morning of her passing

[@_KingQuinn_]

Ive seen many times, a crow eating a dead crow

[@perceivedvelocity9914]

Kinda funny how she quotes the story of Cain and Able and then later says BCE when talking about a date. No judgement either way. I just found it interesting.

[@beautyalaritz3310]

I wish they'd leave religious folklores out of science based Ted talks.

[@KrisKristysKrispyTwisties]

Any Ologies fans know if she was the guest on the podcast that covered corvids?

[@NatarajanAV]

Not sure, what she concluded... It's confusing & not clear

[@Oraerilla]

Unidans favorite video

[@__insomnia_]

In the last 2-3 months I can see big groups of crows flying and shouting anytimes in the week, always at the same time. I'm questioning about this ... Because in the last 11 years living at the same place I never saw this, since many years I observe the sky and birds. Somebody else that see this happen?

[@gizmoffm]

It is very common, that they do this - at the evening or so they come from all their territories together to one place and fly and shout. I think its kind of a social bonding thing.

[@vineet5678]

I love people taking about things that they don't even Don't know Fully about , people point of view.

[@charlietube7165]

Freedom of speech Let people talk you ballz

[@r32qwdfq]

Wow, nice tradition! I guess the crows are fans of Cargo 200 🙂

[@ZackV2496]

I always see crows

[@nefreetman]

Makes you wonder how non-avian dinosaurs reacted to their dead.

[@dzikrinasaira3475]

I feel like I've watched this Ted Talk before.. I remember when ppl in the comment section commented that maybe she's Taylor Swift's relative n also the story of the crow. Do Ted re-upload this?

[@ven.lamanamgyal5269]

MEE-TOO Rockin' deja-vu! LAMA NAMGYAL

[@mattmarchand3139]

Crows love other crows. Fucking simple

[@hx5061]

What crows teach us about death.... Yes, we learn from them.

[@ciscoponch67]

The crows copulating, might be an instinctual response to fill the gap of the local crow population due to the deceased crow.

[@titaniumsteel9114]

To be continue...next ted talk animal whisperer will tell you more about crow

[@obsoleteoptics]

Did you ever consider the possibility that they might think the food your feeding them might be poisoned?

[@invox9490]

Talking to the birds... 😬

[@virgin_mary_in_islam2469]

Prophet Muhammad said : "Keep much in your remembrance the cutter off of delights, i.e., death.”

[@Sabongp4x]

What good is a study like this if you lack the dead crow smell? Do the crows even think this is a dead crow?

[@keakjm]

Video is 13 minutes long, 5 minutes after it was uploaded, there are already more than 25 comments. 😏

[@subramanya.k]

Lol

[@upgrade1583]

4% of those comments were yours

[@Traveler42069]

Why does the video quality look like it's from the 80's...?

[@prisonplanetearthcomplyordie]

Ive seen this a few years ago

[@ajiwidhia]

nice

[@f3rtili3r]

She looks like captain americas girlfriend

[@justaregularhumanbeing]

Peggy

[@lucksiththampi1209]

This video remind me of game of thrones 😂

[@Skandar0007]

Quran 5-31: “Then God sent a crow digging up the earth so that he might show him how he should cover the dead body of his brother. He said: Woe me! do I lack the strength that I should be like this crow and cover the dead body of my brother? So he became of those who regret.”

[@tarekmorocco9004]

صدق الله العظيم رب العرش الكريم

[@md.yeasinsheikh50]

did you notice her necklace?🐤

[@jayashreej9931]

Animals are interacting with humans ..

[@such_zenmuch_wow3148]

👍

[@christophergruenwald5054]

Here they were using a stuffed crow. I thought maybe they shoot one that came to the feeder to see how it’s family members would react to its death rather that that of a complete stranger. Might get different results. Probably might not go over very well with some people though.

[@trentongesler9637]

Washington resident here. It might affect the study a little bit. But since it was in the Seattle area you can't shoot within city limits. I also think crows might be on the list of birds you can't shoot in Washington state.

[@christophergruenwald5054]

@@trentongesler9637 you can definitely shoot them in SD. I can’t recall the daily limit as I’ve never been crow hunting, but it’s probably at least 15. And yes, discharging a firearm within city limits is generally illegal anywhere, but they could have taken this study to the country. I’m mostly just interested in what would happen if it was one of their family members rather that dropped dead there. Not necessarily even anything other than natural cause, how their reactions would differ from this study.

[@Jaibee27]

Gonna start funeral crashing

[@EricHrahsel]

Emotional

[@abhishekmukherjee4857]

Believe it or not, in Hindu scriptures, crows are called as messengers of our dead ancestors. Crows are given food and water here to pay respect to our deceased family members.

[@jameskulevich8907]

What do you say to the judge when you’ve been charged with animal necrophilia? I didn’t know the crow was dead?!

[@apolyedapolyed7524]

Comparative thanatology

[@investingwithbrian6196]

Imagine killing animals instead of going vegan

[@TheLivirus]

8:29 That mask looks like Michael Myers, not Hannibal Lector. Silly girl!

[@anag99]

Hannibal also had a mask when he was captured, but Michael’s looks more like this one!

[@aishwariyasweety2433]

I thought id leave with more respect for crows. But no. Creepy bastads

[@thewilltosurvive9826]

What did those poor birds ever do to you

[@thewilltosurvive9826]

@@aishwariyasweety2433 if you say so

[@schnieti]

@@aishwariyasweety2433 I strongly suggest not to trust humans either

[@fenlandwildlifeclips]

What if they miss their dead and feel sad about it...just a thought...and they might have realised something funny was going on with the stuffed dead crow.

[@linkdude64]

Legs...

[@porcelainface7809]

When the goth kids grow uo

[@CyberdyneSystemsSkynet]

All that and she didn't mention Ted Hughes once, not sure if I'm impressed or sad.

[@tedand]

Who's that? I'm curious.

[@Its_me_Ellis_D]

Do they wear face masks tho? I mean we need to just stay home to live forever, right? 2020!

[@gaiusmarius8628]

Not covid but corvid

[@xBLUMONKEY]

"So we played with a bunch of dead crows and found that somethingggg is going on, we think..."

[@crowkraehenfrau2604]

Wondering, why, they don't act the same with every dead crow? Let's transfer that to humans: Somebody meets a stranger carrying a dead body, somebody finds a dead body in their backyard or somebody finds a dead familymember...how strange! Completely different reactions...lol!

[@anthonyprado1534]

I didn’t know that god sent a crow to cain guess that’s canon now :p

[@dennisclanton5342]

Neanderthal also buried their dead.

[@raozhang4526]

trading right now will be at the of every wise individual’s list. In 2years you’ll be ecstatic with the decision you made today

[@wisdomfrancis7602]

@Uchegbu Prince Don’t sleep on it, this is time to invest I recently just bought another property valued at over $10m. I wish I knew the right investment firm to invest with earlier, better late than never though.

[@chickengeniussingapore4133]

@Maris Ferdinand Wise words

[@Robert_Groene]

We’ve got to see people remain poor due to ignorance

[@jonnyfdyoutube2022]

Damn! You’re right you must be a genius.

[@kasey01263]

@Noah Felix My first experience with him gave me the assurance that has made me to invest without fear of loosing and I got four of my friends involved with him already

[@quintonsmith8164]

Those are some tight pants!!

[@Skeptic_Tank]

I know a thing about death. Like not giving Americans another stimulus check.

[@Payaso_M13]

I didnt know you political pushers wonder away from CNN and Fox.

[@upgrade1583]

someone is still obsessed with US politics lol

[@Skeptic_Tank]

@@Payaso_M13 Its very important as a senator and speaker of the house, that I discourse with peasants from time to time.

[@Skeptic_Tank]

@@upgrade1583 Well i have been in politics for decades :)

[@upgrade1583]

@@Skeptic_Tank you have 28 subscribers lol

[@palpalrai9970]

crows are worshipped by hindus in diwali as messenger of death now i know that ancient hindus rituals are all scientific

[@VanillaGun]

Wow

[@Lollertube82]

Most depressing TED talk ever.

[@SKSillSKSill]

Taylor Swift’s Sister?

[@siddhantrai7529]

Itachi is that you?😂

[@gigabuyceps]

That's what research does now when corona hits.

[@banter2143]

That it's yummy apparently

[@mysterio952]

Funfact: crow IQ 5,2 Pigeon IQ: 6,5 Parrot IQ: 7,9 OWL IQ: 9 Falcon IQ: 10

[@KateeAngel]

What is the source? You can't actually use the IQ measure for animals

[@mysterio952]

I'm sorry that u don't like it. u like crows judging by ur uploaded crow videos.

[@KateeAngel]

@@mysterio952I also have videos with caterpillars and spiders. Your point? You still haven't provided sources for your claims

[@mysterio952]

The point is that u r emotionally touched, angry and can't think clearly. The yt link BTW also counts as a source

[@terryamstutz2028]

yay more anthropomorphizing of the animal world (sarcastic). pure BS. I love crows and ravens so I was extremely disappointed in this video. Lost interest after 4 minutes.

[@salmayousry3976]

That we should bury people ?!

[@KateeAngel]

Not necessarily. There is cremation as an option

[@salmayousry3976]

@@KateeAngel yeah but the whole concept, that we should get rid of dead bodies or.. you know do something about it came from crows

[@user-ic1oy9er2o]

She is trying to find meaning in something that is evidently meaningless.

[@winkstar9265]

crap.

[@conniecrawford5231]

Covid s are highly intelligent birds, allb4 separate species!

[@f1nal1ty]

I think you are missing an 'r' somewhere, Ms. Cawford :)

[@anonymouscheesepie3768]

breh

[@rajdivecha]

WTF? Is the world going to see people graduating in useless areas like these? She didn’t even delivered anything of value!

[@iikusodai]

*deliver