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I live in a semi-rural area in Germany, close to a park which trains go through every 20 minutes.

Today, I saw something that left me perplexed.

There is a large population of birds that look like crows or ravens, yet fatter. They seem to be quite social and move around in large groups. Today, I spotted one carefully laying sticks from a nearby tree on the train track while the others seemed to spectate.

What exactly was that bird doing? Is this common? Did it have a purpose, or was it just coincidental?

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Some corvids do use tools, and are fast learners. Could these be using the train and tracks as tools to cut sticks up smaller? – EnergyNumbers Feb 2 at 10:50
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There is a book, In the Company of Crows and Ravens that details human-corvid interactions. That might provide insights for you. The link is: yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=0300100760 – kmm♦ Feb 2 at 14:05
@Kevin - Thanks, reading it. – Francisco P. Feb 2 at 16:12
@EnergyNumbers - I want to believe :) – Francisco P. Feb 3 at 0:53

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