Bird behaviour has shown that some birds are sensitive to the death of their members. Crows, ravens and related birds usually gather together and notice the dead bodies of their counterparts. It is has been noted in research books that crows conduct funerals on their dead. But a new study points out that crows are likely to try mating with the dead! A team of researchers observed the 'funeral' but found that crows have sexual encounters with the dead too.

Crows, in particular, are wise birds, they are said to remember human faces and also hold grudges with those who mistreated them. If someone happens to damage their nests, they are likely to be attacked by the crow sooner or later. So crows are also known to cause chaos and harass humans who handle the corpse of their dead. Crows consider their dead as a sign of danger so this new behavioural observation was a little shocking.

Kaeli Swift and John M. Marzluff two researchers have published a study about their findings on interactions of crows with the dead. Swift tested the responses of over hundreds of crows to their dead peers and she did it for three consecutive summers. She found that the crows dived at the bodies from afar. They would then touch, pull, drag and even peck at the corpses. But she also noted sexual encounters. Crow Asks Woman in Yorkshire, 'You Alright Love?' Watch The Funny Video!

"In the most dramatic examples, a crow would approach the dead crow while alarm calling, copulate with it, be joined in the sexual frenzy by its presumed mate, and then rip it into absolute shreds," Swift has written in her research. The crow would droop its wings, erect its tail and strut in the dead, how they do only at the time of mating. Crows use their vents for sexual contact, so they swivel beneath the female but with a dead one lying, they were seen struggling. Out of all the observations, 4% of the cases saw crows having sexual encounters with the dead.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2018 05:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).