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Kaeli Swift, Ph.D. Profile picture
Kaeli Swift, Ph.D.
@corvidresearch
If you miss me on here find me on the clock app or IG at the same handle. #CrowOrNo lives on!
5 subscribers
Aug 7, 2022 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
UV detection is really important for many animals
(ex: reindeer vision extends into the UV spectrum, allowing for higher contrast & easier detection of their main food (lichen) & predators (wolves) against a snowy backdrop)

But do crows use it much? A thread for the nerdy... Most eyes work in more or less the same way...light enters, gets bent by the cornea, gets focused on the retina, rods and cones detect amount of light and color, information gets transmitted to brain. But differences in each of those steps can render v different visual systems.
Jun 9, 2022 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
TIL that eminent raven researcher, Berned Heinrich, reported on a case of two captive male ravens forming a pair bond. Although they were held in a mixed flock that included females, the pair maintained their bond for 2 years and even built a nest together each breeding season For folks wondering if anyone has attempted to quantify the prevalence of homosexuality in corvids the answer is no, and we probably never will.
Jun 8, 2022 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
#PullAllTheTails For those not yet in the know, this crow is attempting something called kleptoparasitism, a foraging strategy where instead of getting your own food, you steal someone else’s!
Jun 4, 2022 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
Breeding season is often a hard time for the tender hearted among us. The joy of watching an animal construct a nest just to see their efforts cut short by predation is painful. Likewise, finding a dead chick is tough, and prompts many to ask how they could have protected them. I appreciate the people that bring me these questions so much. That care so deeply they would put in the effort to seek out these answers from a scientist and spend their time doing what I suggested. These are good people.
Mar 25, 2022 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
There's no better way to show how little you understand about biology than to ask someone to define biological sex & scoff when they can't give you a straightforward lil answer.

Nature does not give a shit about keeping it simple for the peace of mind of small-minded people. Well what about chromosomes???

Yeah what about them? Most of the time XX means you have a uterus, vagina, etc., but sometimes it fucking doesn't and you have a penis. Or maybe you're XY but instead of a penis you have a vagina but still no uterus.
Dec 10, 2021 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
Stories like this are so complicated for me and frankly I don’t have a firm judgement about them.

So first, let’s be clear that this only happens when a young bird is taken into human custody at such an age that it imprints. The recreational crow feeder isn’t risking this. So on the one hand, by cultivating this relationship you’ve irrevocably altered this birds natural behavior…it’s relationship to humans and to other crows. It’s destined to a certain amount of confusion.
Oct 3, 2021 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
“Yes, hello? I’d like to report a crime.” I noticed this larger house gecko stalking the smaller mourning gecko and sure enough after a few minutes of watching it pounced!

We couldn’t really imagine though how it would actually kill and eat such a large prey item. And sure enough it didn’t.
Dec 30, 2020 • 10 tweets • 5 min read
It’s Wednesday which means it’s time for #CrowOrNo, the weekly crow ID game! Premise is simple: is this a crow (American crow, fish crow, carrion crow etc.) or not (raven, blackbird, grackle, rook, etc.).

So tell me, what is this fluffy friend? Answer and ID tips at 5:30 PST🍀 Crap, Wingspan+Moscow Mules do not make for a timely #CrowOrNoReveal. Answer is forthcoming, thank you for your patience!
Dec 30, 2020 • 11 tweets • 4 min read
For the new followers today, here’s a, “I just discovered crows are awesome,” starter pack:

1) Crows can live a long time (14-17y), and are generally territorial. That means the crows you interact with outside your home/work may be the same individuals for over a decade. That offers a real chance to watch/learn/bond with not just a wild animal, but specific individuals whose trust you can earn and then know intimately.
Dec 13, 2020 • 19 tweets • 6 min read
Last night I learned that there’s an animal called the cookiecutter shark and...

please.

Let me take you on this journey to knowing this adorable deep sea flesh collector. 📸 Jeff Milisen With “cookie” in the name & the face of an absolute GOOBER one might be inclined to think that the magic here is that this is just an extra cute shark. At < 2ft long and with those big button eyes, you’re not wrong but you are missing some essential facts of the situation.
Nov 3, 2020 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Hey you! DYK if you live in the following states you can register to vote TODAY?

California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, & Wyoming Not sure how to register in your state? Check here: vote.org/voter-registra…

If you’re someone that’s never voted before you are a really person today. Your vote matters, not just to me personally (which it does) but even in the grand scheme.
Jul 9, 2020 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
Earlier in the week my class was delighted to host @MyFrogCroaked to share his work on frog conservation. To prepare my students, I researched and gave a short lecture on frog biology.

I was not ready for how truly strange frogs are. Here are a handful of mind blowing facts... 1) most frogs don’t consume water orally. Instead they absorb it through their skin. Of those, many have a particular area on their belly/pelvis for just this purpose called the seat patch or the drinking patch.
May 23, 2020 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Lol, y’all give hooded crows too much credit for not being absolute hooligans 🤣 Notice how the hedgehog balls up defensively every time the crow migrates towards its vulnerable head. The crow is the reason it’s having such a hard time crossing, not the reverse.
May 2, 2020 • 14 tweets • 6 min read
A springtime thread: interesting things you may not know about bird reproduction

1) Only 3% of bird species have a penis. For the majority that don’t, sperm are transfer by the male and female touching their cloacas together. This is called “the cloacal kiss,” which I hate. 2) Birds that have penises include waterfowl, ostriches, and emus. In ducks, the penis can be extremely long and weird. In these cases the vaginas are likewise complex and weird. The reasons for this are very dark and discussed in more detail here:
Apr 27, 2020 • 11 tweets • 7 min read
In honor of #InternationalCrowAndRavenAppreciationDay here is a thread of why you should love and respect these birds.

Let's start with the shallow stuff: Their looks. Hot damn. Ughhhh I love crows. But I also love ravens. Here are some hansom AF ravens
Apr 21, 2020 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
Fucking Hitchcock. If you’re going to make a horror movie about wildlife can you at least not make the premise based on a totally normal, non-threatening thing animals do as apart of their natural history? Because otherwise things like roosting get👇 for the rest of time. But since he did, and its clearly got a lot of folks concerned, let’s discuss!

These are great-tailed grackles. Grackles look similar to crows and other corvids but are in a completely different family of birds called blackbirds. 📸 Darren Clark
Apr 17, 2020 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
Jkhkhjjmkhj! LOOK AT THESE BABY WOODCOCKS PRACTICING THEIR BOOTY BOP

Video credit: facebook.com/groups/2416342… Why do woodcocks booty bop? We don’t 100% know but it might agitate worms, their primary food source, and make them easier for the birds to find.
Mar 15, 2020 • 20 tweets • 7 min read
Stuck at home due to #COVID19? Now is a great time to try and befriend your neighborhood #coRvid.

Benefits include nature being good for the mind, relief from social distancing, and possibly 🎁’s. A THREAD... Although general bird feeding is more popular among elderly people, this is one of those cases where it’s because they’re wiser and we should pay attention. Because watching bird is freaking great.
Mar 14, 2020 • 15 tweets • 7 min read
Need more #coRvid in your timeline RN? I got you. First let’s look at some pictures, as it is a known FACT that corvids are straight up beautiful. (a crow, a raven, a magpie, a crow) Shiny black crow in front of fall colored leavesBlueish black raven with bright pick salmon stands of barnacle covered rocks.A black-bilked magpie in flightA headshot of a crow with a brown, white, yellow and blue backdrop (A leucistic crow, a crow, a Canada jay, a crow) Brown crown on lichen covered long on beachCrow with lime green background standing near red leavesCanada jay perched of orange lichen covered spruce treeBlueish crow in front of reddish park of pine tree
Mar 14, 2020 • 23 tweets • 8 min read
If you’re looking for #COVID19 information might I recommend:

@heysciencesam
@aetiology
@mlipsitch
@florian_krammer
@HelenBranswell

If you’re looking for #CORVID19 information, I, a corvid scientist, am happy to oblige. Here’s 5 things we learned about corvids in 2019: 1) Townsend et al. taught us that eating McDonalds burgers gives crows higher cholesterol.

This may not seem surprising but very few studies have actually evaluated how eating trash affects the health of urban birds. What was surprising though is that it wasn’t a bad thing.
Mar 3, 2020 • 11 tweets • 3 min read
It’s #SuperTuesday so let’s talk politics.

It’s a cutthroat world out where those in power try to keep it. Where alliances are formed, coalitions are built, and rivals are squashed.

It sounds harsh, but those are the realities when you’re a raven. For animals that live in complex social worlds like ravens or primates, maintaining power can be key to accessing variety of important resources. While brute force is one way to do it, social strategies are an alternative way to gain or maintain power.