Many assume gift giving is a custom only humans practice, but Gabi Mann has learned that’s not the case.
Over the years, the girl from Seattle, Washington has accumulated quite the collection of random objects. To some, these trinkets might appear to be destined for the trash, but to Gabi, they’re priceless because of where they came from.
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At 4 years old, she noticed that the crows in her neighborhood would eat the food she accidentally dropped. So she and her brother started sharing their lunches with the birds, which in turn created a special bond between them.
Now Gabi and her mom Lisa fill feeders in their backyard every day. And that kindness hasn’t gone unnoticed! In fact, their feathered friends thank them for their generosity all the time.
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Gabi noticed her first gifts in 2013. After eating the food set out for them, the crows would sometimes leave buttons, screws, earrings, beads, and other small items behind. According to John Marzluff, professor of wildlife science at the University of Washington, it’s no coincidence!
He said crows have been known to bring people things. “There’s definitely a two-way communication going on there,” he told BBC. “They understand each other’s signals.”
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Gabi, whose all-time favorite gift is a heart charm, is confident that she knows the birds’ intentions. She explained, “It’s showing me how much they love me.”
The National Audubon Society, a nonprofit that protects birds, said she might just be right. “Crows are amazingly smart, social, and playful, and they’re one of the few bird species that’s been documented to have individual human facial recognition,” the organization told HuffPost. “With all of these factors combined, it’s easy to see why they would develop a very interactive and social relationship with this family.”
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Gabi’s story just goes to show that even in the animal world, kindness begets kindness! If you have any crows nearby, keep this story in mind. You might be able to make some new friends!
Learn more about Gabi’s gift-giving crows in the video below, and amaze others by sharing this article!
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