Why Caledonian or tool-wielding crows left-or right beaked

The Caledonian crow’s shows preferences when it comes to holding their tools on the left or the right sides of their beaks, like people are left or right handed. Now researchers suggest that those bill preferences allow each bird to keep the tip of its tool in view of the eye on the opposite side of its head. Crows are not so left or right beaked but they are left or right eyed. The new study also suggests that the birds’ extreme binocular vision characterized by an unusually wide field of view in comparison to other species actually helps the crows see better with one eye at a time. The birds are using their notable binocular vision for better monocular vision, allowing each eye to see further toward the other side of the beak. Researchers say birds’ unusually wide binocular field is among the first known examples of a physical adaptation to enable tool use. The crows are one of the most innovative tool users in the animal kingdom, and for good reason. They must use sticks to extract larvae from burrows. In some ways, the New Caledonian crows have a tougher problem to solve than humans do when it comes to using tools, because they don’t have the luxury of moving their eyes and beaks independently like humans can with their eyes and hands.