Study: Crows remember colors a year later

TOKYO, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Japanese researchers say they found crows have long-term memory, perhaps better than humans in some ways, allowing them to remember colors for at least a year.

In experiments at Utsunomiya University, the birds were able to select containers with hidden food items based on color cues after extended intervals, Kyodo News reported Monday.

"It is not easy even for human beings to remember visual color information for a year," said Shoei Sugita, a professor of animal morphology who led the research. "Crows may be even better than human beings in a certain aspect of memory."

The latest finding came in Sugita's research commissioned by the Chubu Electric Power Co., which has been troubled by crows' nests on it power line towers, Kyodo News reported.