Crows are capable of identifying individual human faces, remembering those individuals for years, and communicating warnings about dangerous people to other crows
Evidence for facial recognition
Experimental studies using marked researchers and distinctive masks show that crows react differently to people who previously captured or threatened them, scolding, mobbing and following those faces long after the initial encounter.
Memory and long‑term grudges
Field observations and follow‑up work indicate crows can retain negative associations with particular humans for many years and may repeatedly harass or avoid those individuals when they reappear, a behaviour sometimes described as holding a grudge.
Cognitive and ecological context
Facial recognition fits with corvid intelligence, advanced memory and complex social structures. By learning which humans pose threats, crows reduce nest predation risk and better protect territories and young, demonstrating flexible problem solving in urban and wild environments.
Takeaway
Crows’ ability to recognize and remember human faces, retain long‑term negative associations and teach others about threats highlights their remarkable cognition and the sophisticated social behaviours that help them thrive alongside people.
Social transmission of knowledge
Crows do not keep this information to themselves: alarm calls and mobbing behaviour teach neighbours and offspring about dangerous humans, spreading recognition through local crow communities and increasing group survival.