Thanks to the compelling findings of many studies, it’s well known that members of the Corvidae family, which includes crows, ravens, rooks, magpies, jays, and jackdaws, are smart. But just how smart are they?
There’s abundant evidence that corvids are really, really smart. Studies have found that crows can recognize human faces and hold “grudges,” as evidenced by dive-bombing scientists who had previously trapped and banded them. They can also recognize specific vehicle makes and keep track of which humans drive which cars. And, unsurprisingly, they are known to “befriend” people – especially if food is involved. These preferences appear to be shared among a group of crows and even passed down to subsequent generations.
Researchers have compared crows’ ability to fashion tools from twigs and branches to those of monkeys and even early humans. Crows have been observed creating hooked implements to grab food; they are the only non-primates that make new tools. They are also highly observant and will move their food cache to a more secure location if they discover that another animal watched them bury it.
By some estimations, a crow’s intelligence is comparable to that of a child around the ages of 5 to 7. One of the most compelling examples is the success of crows in a volume displacement test based on the Aesop’s fable “The Crow and the Pitcher.” Displaying impressive problem-solving skills, the birds dropped stones into a tall pitcher to raise the water level and access a food reward.
Other skillful behaviors that have been attributed to crows include dropping nuts into traffic so that cars drive over and crack them open, and watching traffic lights to understand when it is safe to retrieve them. Crows' incredible memories have allowed them to remember garbage collection schedules, thus improving their chances of successful scavenging. Researchers have even tested whether they can recognize patterns and analogies (they can).
How well do you know your corvids?
- You can find corvids almost everywhere in the world, except for the southern part of South America, New Zealand, the high Arctic, and Antarctica. The common raven has been one of the most successful at adapting to various regions and diverse habitats.
- The common raven is among the largest corvids, with a wingspan that can reach over 4 feet. The smallest corvid is the dwarf jay, an endangered species native to Mexico, which is less than 8 inches long and weighs under one-tenth of a pound.
- Though their vocalizations aren’t particularly melodic, corvids are classified as songbirds due to their highly developed vocal organ, known as a syrinx.
- Thanks to a large hippocampus, corvids have an excellent spatial memory, allowing them to recall the locations of hundreds or even thousands of caches where they hid food, sometimes many weeks later. Several species of jay and nutcracker are particularly good at this – a necessity for birds trying to survive harsh winters.
