Several scientists had earlier seen in the wild crows, similar to human beings, preparing tools for themselves to gather food and at times even to entertain themselves. But for the first time has the act been captured on camera. The scientists, through specially invented crow tailcam, recorded the act in videos to prove their theory. The footage shows New Caledonian crows preparing tools to target their prey in the wild.

UK researchers Jolyon Troscianko and Christian Metz, who have been studying the activities of crows in the wild for years, claim to have earlier seen crows making tools in the wild. But they then could not capture it on camera.

Developed by the University of Exeter, these cameras are small and quite light, a feature that provides it the ability to sit on crows and record their activity. The cameras are fitted with microSD cards and radio beacons, which enable the scientists to recover footage when the cameras slide off after a few days.

The cameras, which were designed so that these fell off birds after a few days, captured videos showing birds feeding just using their beaks, interacting with baby crows, and using tools. “What's especially remarkable is that we now have solid evidence that crows make hooked tools, something only humans were thought doing earlier”, say scientists.