Corvid Wants Another Cracker: Novel Dunking Behavior by an American Crow

An American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) was observed and photographed purposely submerging and holding a cracker underwater in a birdbath. This behavior differs from the dunking and paddling of a cracker by an American Crow in the same birdbath in 2023. As before, it is reasonable to assert that the birdbath's water was used to moisten and/or soften the hard and dry cracker prior to consumption. This problem-solving behavior appears to have been premeditated given how deliberate the crow was with each step of its behavior. However, the technique of forcibly submerging the temporarily buoyant cracker and then holding it under water is superior in its simplicity and soaking effectiveness to the previously observed, and skill-demanding, technique of dunking and paddling the cracker.