This recording is from the Zoologischer Garten in central Berlin. The numerous calls are the wild nebelkrahe (or fog crow, Berliners’ local name for the grey and white Corvus corvix) and the single corvid voice is one of a couple of captive white-necked ravens (Corvus albicollis) local to Southern and Eastern Africa. Wild birds benefit from living in close proximity to captive birds.

While corvids are traditionally considered harbingers of doom and death because of their scavenging habits, they are also associated with prophesy, wisdom, fidelity and longevity. They have reputations as tricksters and clever antagonists and scientific research into animal cognition reveals them to be a highly intelligent species that can demonstrate tool making abilities, self-awareness and most recently a theory of mind, which is the ability to attribute mental states to both oneself and others. There is evidence to suggest that ravens have great potential for the development of language and syntax (akin to the complexity of human language) and possibly the only reason we doubt this has occurred is, as linguist Derek Bickerton says, ‘nobody’s caught them doing it’.

Monumental Effect artists: Alex Rizkalla, Catherine Clover, Ceri Hann, Claire Lambe, Dani Hakim, David Lawrey & Jaki Middleton, Deborah Kelly, Elvis Richardson, Greg Richards, Louise Paramor, Jane Brown, Michael Needham, Nana Ohnesorge, Nat Thomas, Nick Pantazopoulos, Nick Waddell, Nicki Wynnychuk, Raafat Ishak, Raquel Ormella, Sadie Chandler, Sarah CrowEST, Sarah Goffman, Simon Zoric, Stephen Garrett, Toby Pola, Veronica Kent