9 Smartest Birds in the World

key point:

• Birds are much smarter than humans once thought. Many birds use tools, are smarter than other animals, recognize faces, solve puzzles, plan for the future, show empathy and recognize abstract concepts.
• Crows are the smartest birds on our list. If you’ve ever thought a flock of crows is talking about you, you’re probably right.
• Many birds have complex languages ​​and can even tell lies.

You can learn a lot about a bird’s intelligence by observing its behavior. Some birds find food, build nests and perform everyday tasks in the same way throughout their lives. Other birds seemed more curious. Some of the birds on this list are adept at using tools to achieve their ends, while others have a talent for outsmarting their feathered friends. There’s even a bird that can recognize faces. Read on to learn about the unique behaviors that landed these nine fliers on the list of the world’s smartest birds.

#9: Western Scrub Jay – Fooling the Competitors

In the fall, western scrub jays look for food that can be stored for winter. While many birds store food, western scrub jays add a twist to the process.

These birds know that their stored food may be stolen by other birds or even squirrels. So when a western scrub jay hides food, it pays close attention to its surroundings. If the jay thinks a bird is watching, it will hide the food in another location. It may even change the location of the food several times to fool other birds.

If that wasn’t enough to earn it a spot on the list of the smartest birds, the western scrub jay goes one step further. Scientists have observed the bird pretending to hide food in specific places. But, in reality, they take the food to another location for safe storage.

#8: The Magpie – Passing the Test

Magpies are known for their chirping, chirping, whistling and chattering. These birds are also known for their intelligence. The scientists put them through a challenging test, which they passed with flying colors.

First, the scientists put a small sticker on the magpie. Then, they put the bird in front of a mirror. The magpie looked in the mirror and immediately wanted to tear off the stickers on the feathers. The bird saw its reflection and knew the sticker didn’t belong there. Other types of birds just tap the mirror, thinking it’s another bird.

#7: Clark’s Nutcracker – Win the Memory Game

The Clark Nutcracker lived in the mountains of the American West. They have soft gray feathers on the head and back as well as black tail feathers. Although it lives in the mountains, this bird is known for its ingenuity. In short, this feathered creature has an excellent memory.

Pine nuts are the main food in Clark’s Nutcracker. These small birds spend a lot of energy storing pine seeds during the summer so they have food throughout the winter. They store as many as 30,000 pine seeds in one summer. However, they don’t store all torrents in one location. Instead, they only store three or four seeds in one place. That means Clark’s Nutcracker has to remember thousands of hiding places. This begs the question: How does the bird find buried seeds after snowfall? The scientists concluded that it uses tree stumps, fence posts and other landmarks to help it remember where the seeds are buried. No wonder it’s one of the smartest birds in the world.

#6: Crows – Collaboration is smart

Ravens are known for their solid black plumage and black eyes. There are many famous stories, songs, myths and poems about this famous bird. What you may not know is that these birds are considered to be some of the smartest birds in the world.

Instead of finding prey on its own, a crow pairs with another crow to make the process more efficient. When a pair of crows spots a nest of chicks, one of them flies to the mother and makes a lot of noise to lure her away from the area. After she left, another crow came and grabbed one of the chicks. Pairs of ravens will do this a few times so they are all well fed.

Another reason this bird is on the list of the smartest birds in the world has to do with mastering a mind-bending challenge. Crows can complete various challenges set by scientists. One challenge demonstrated the crow’s ability to push a stone out of a box with the help of a stick held in its beak. Once the bird has retrieved the stone, place it in the tube to trigger the release of a piece of food. The crow is able to figure out the steps involved in completing the challenge!

#5: Jackdaws – Brainpower in Action

Jackdaws are named for their calls. It will make a sound that sounds like a “click”. For some reason, this curious bird earns its place on lists of the world’s smartest birds.

For one thing, it’s notorious for taking shiny items like coins and jewelry. These birds see shiny objects and can’t resist! Sometimes they take shiny items with a specific purpose. Jackdaws sometimes remove shiny caps from milk bottles that sit on porches and doorsteps. But taking the hat is not enough. The jackdaw started to drink the milk in the bottle!

Jackdaws use many different materials for their nests, including animal hair. Scientists have seen jackdaws follow herds of deer so that they can land on the backs of these mammals. These birds pluck hair from deer to build their nests. These birds know how to use their brains to their own benefit!

Chough is an interesting bird name. It’s easy to pronounce the bird’s name if you pronounce it as if you were saying the word “chuff.” These birds have black plumage similar to other birds on this list. However, they also have bright red beaks and legs.

Choughs are considered to be very intelligent birds due to their ability to use objects as tools to open their shells. For example, these birds sometimes eat molluscs. They can use the cracked shell of one mollusk to open the shell of another mollusc. resourceful!

#3: Rook – The problem solver

Rooks are black with a white face and a pointed black beak. This car is included in the list of the smartest birds due to its ability to solve simple problems.

A famous experiment with rooks involved a bottle half full of water. A small worm was floating on the water in the bottle. Of course, the crow saw the worm and wanted to eat it. Although it knows to stick its beak into the bottle, the worm cannot reach it due to the low water level. Rooks will throw rocks into bottles to raise the water level to reach the worms. The problem is solved!

When you think of woodpeckers, you probably picture a large bird with a sharp beak that you use to bang on tree trunks. Although the bird is a woodpecker, it is small, with a small beak, like a finch.

In their Galapagos habitat, they feed on worms and grubs found in trees. Unfortunately, the bird’s short beak cannot effectively scoop out larvae from tree trunks or branches. This is where the woodpecker brain comes into play!

These birds use twigs, twigs and even cactus spines as tools to retrieve larvae from trees. Dinner is ready!

#1: Raven – Putting Two and Two Together

No list of the smartest birds is complete without a crow! Crows are considered the smartest of all birds for a number of reasons. Plus, it’s the variety of things they can do that puts them at the top.

In Japan, crows have been seen throwing nuts onto a busy road. Of course, the nuts were crushed by the tires of passing vehicles. Crows sit on power lines above the street, waiting for traffic to slow down. When it happens, they fly down and eat the nut chips. This is causal thinking.

Additionally, crows can make tools out of leaves, twigs, and twigs to approach insects from the ground or in trees. Last but not least, crows can remember human facial features.

Click here to learn about the 10 smartest animals in the world!

The 9 smartest birds in the world vs the 9 dumbest birds

When it comes to AZ-Animals’ animals, we like to look at both ends of the spectrum. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the 10 smartest and 10 dumbest birds in the world.To learn more about birds that don’t score high on intelligence scales, check out 10 dumbest birds in the world.

IAN WARKENTIN

I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.

Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.