Clever Crow Outsmarts 2 Turkey Vultures with ONE Move to Get the Food

Earlier this year, a family living in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States decided set out a trail camera in their backyard.

Their goal, at first, was simply to film the comings and goings of local groundhogs as they moseyed their way across the property.

The family then began leaving healthy snacks for them, allowing them to capture some adorable footage like this: Before long, the family decided to share their footage with the world — launching a channel on YouTube called Mid-Atlantic Backyard.

But in time, the groundhogs proved not to be the channel’s only celebs. After the family set out a bowl of water in front of their camera, a myriad of new animals began to step in for their closeups — included among them, turkey vultures and the occasional crow.

And, it turns out, these birds would be the stars of one of Mid-Atlantic Backyard’s most memorable captures to date.

In one clip, two vultures are seen lingering around the makeshift watering hole when a crow arrives who prefers not to share it. Rather than try to shoo the vultures away head-on, he devises a clever scheme — pulling off what is essentially the perfect prank:vThe crow’s ruse had worked.

“I was astonished by the crow’s ability to not only plan out such a move, but to also execute it so smoothly,” the family behind Mid-Atlantic Backyard told The Dodo.

“I was amused because there were so many different moments that were hilarious, such as the vulture taking a few seconds to try to process what just happened, the way that it slowly turned and then suddenly charged at the other vulture, and the way the crow scampered over to the water dish like a cartoon character as the vulture began its chase.”

Scenes like the one above reveal a side to nature that’s so often missed, a complexity of interactions that delight and amuse. It’s a hidden world Mid-Atlantic Backyard hopes to capture and share.

“We have a wide variety of wildlife that we’re able to observe, and it has been tremendously rewarding to be able to film them,” the family said. “The more we observe all of these animals, the more we realize how beautiful and resourceful each of them are in their own unique ways.”