While dolphins, elephants, and chimpanzees are often considered intelligent animals, corvids, including crows, ravens, jays, and magpies, are challenging these assumptions.
Corvids exhibit problem-solving skills, communication abilities, and even engage in play, rivaling great apes.
Crows possess brains that are large relative to their body size, comparable to chimpanzees. They demonstrate intelligence through tool use, such as New Caledonian crows shaping sticks into hooks to extract grubs.
Corvids understand cause and effect, as shown in studies where crows recognized that dropping a stone into sand wouldn't raise the level. They also have rich social lives and recognize individual humans, remembering kindness or unkindness.
Ravens have been observed sliding down snowy rooftops for fun, and others play aerial games. Corvids also experience REM sleep, suggesting they may dream like humans.
They possess a complex vocal range, mimicking sounds and communicating through calls, potentially indicating a rudimentary form of language. Corvids blur the line between bird and primate intelligence, showcasing that intelligence evolves in diverse forms.