A carrion crow waits for traffic before placing a walnut on the road, then enjoys a meal.

a MAIN IDEAS CLEVER CROWS a

Look at the subheading. At a traffic light crossing on a university campus in Japan, carrion
What do you think is
the main idea of this
crows and humans line up patiently, waiting for the traffic to halt.
section? When the lights change, the birds hop in front of the cars and place
walnuts, which they picked from the adjoining trees, on the road. After
the lights turn green again, the birds fly away and vehicles drive over
the nuts, cracking them open. Finally, when it’s time to cross again,
the crows join the pedestrians and pick up their meal.
If the cars miss the nuts, the birds sometimes hop back and put
10 them somewhere else on the road. Or they sit on electricity wires and
drop them in front of vehicles. . . .
The crows in Japan have only been cracking nuts this way since about
1990. They have since been seen doing it in California. Researchers
b RECOGNIZE believe they probably noticed cars driving over nuts fallen from a walnut
SUPPORT
Reread lines 12–17. What
tree overhanging a road. The crows already knew about dropping clams
details develop the main from a height on the seashore to break them open. The birds found this did
idea of this passage? not work for walnuts because of their soft green outer shell. . . . b

910 unit 8: information, argument, and persuasion

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 TALK TO ME
Another sign of intelligence, thought to be absent in most non-human engage (Dn-gAjP) v.
20 animals, is the ability to engage in complex, meaningful communication. to involve; participate
The work of Professor Irene Pepperberg of the University of Arizona, Tucson, perception
has now shown the general perception of parrots as mindless mimics (pEr-sDpPshEn) n.
to be incorrect. c an impression or feeling
The captive African grey parrot Alex is one of a number of parrots and
mimic (mGmPGk) n. one
macaws now believed to have the intelligence and emotional make-up of who imitates the speech
a 3- to 4-year-old child. Under the tutelage1 of Professor Pepperberg, he and gestures of others
acquired a vocabulary of over 100 words. He could say the words for colors
c MAIN IDEAS
and shapes and, apparently, use them meaningfully. He has learned the What is the main idea
labels for more than 35 different objects. He also knows when to use “no,” of the paragraph?
30 and phrases such as “Come here,” “I want X,” and “Wanna go Y.” . . . What proposition, or
argument, does the
author seem to be
1. tutelage (tLtPl-Gj): instruction; teaching.
developing in this article
so far?

Professor Irene Pepperberg interacts with her research subject, Alex.

bird brains 911

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 PLAYING GAMES WITH HUMANS
Some birds seem to indulge in “intelligent” play. The kea, a New Zealand
parrot, has been filmed ripping (inedible2) windshield wipers off cars.
variation (vârQC-APshEn) Young keas, in a neat variation of ringing the doorbell and running away,
n. a slightly different are known to drop rocks on roofs to make people run outside.
form of something
Jack the jackdaw was raised by wildlife film producer John Downer.
As soon as Jack was mature, he was released into the wild. However,
he couldn’t stay away. “One thing he is totally fascinated by is telephones,”
d RECOGNIZE said Downer. “He knows how to hit the loudspeaker button and preset
SUPPORT 40 dial button. Once we came into the office to find him squawking into
What kind of support the telephone to the local travel agent.”
is in lines 36–44? How
does this support
Jack also likes to fly down onto the mirror of the production car when he
develop the main idea in sees somebody going out. “He turns into the wind, gets his head down and
this section? surfs on the air current until we reach about 30 mph when he gives up. . . . d

ADJUSTING TO OTHERS
Scientists believe it is not physical need that drives creatures to become
complexity smarter, but social necessity. The complexities of living together require
(kEm-plDkPsG-tC) n. a higher level of intelligence. . . .
the quality of being
The African honeyguide, for example, lures badgers to bees’ nests,
complicated
50 and feeds on the leftovers. To humans they offer their services as
e MAIN IDEAS paid employees. They call and fly backward and forward to draw local
State the main idea tribespeoples’3 attention to the location of honeycombs. They are then
presented in lines 58–62. rewarded with a share of the takings for their trouble.
How well have the Of course, the bird world has its share of “bird brains.” There are the
supporting details the
writer included in the
birds that build three nests behind three holes under a flower pot because
article convinced you they can’t remember which is which. There are also birds that attack their
that this proposition, own reflections. . . .
or argument, about The level of intelligence among birds may vary. But no living bird
bird intelligence is true? is truly stupid. Each generation of birds that leaves the protection of
Explain whether you
think this main idea
60 its parents to become independent has the inborn genetic information
represents the author’s that will help it to survive in the outside world and the skills that it has
viewpoint. learned from its parents. It’s just that some have more than others. e

2. inedible (Gn-DdPE-bEl): not suitable or safe for eating.

3. tribespeople: the people of a particular tribe, or group.

912 unit 8: information, argument, and persuasion

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