Besides being dark and mysterious, crows are extremely intelligent birds. So smart, in fact, that it might be a little bit scary. Even though their brains are the size of a human thumb, their intelligence, comparable to that of a 7-year-old child, allows them to use tools, solve problems, recognize people’s faces, adapt to new situations, and even plan for the future.
More examples of crows doing scarily smart things can be found in the list below, curated by our Bored Panda team. Scroll down to find them and make sure to upvote those instances that make you suspicious of how clever these birds are.
While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out a conversation with Anne Clark, professor of Biological Sciences at Binghamton University, who kindly agreed to tell us more about crows and their intelligence.
#1 This Person Managed To "Adopt" A Crow
Image credits: tumblr.com
#2 We've Been Feeding A Small Family Of Four Crows (Mated Pair And Their Two Year Old Kids) For Several Years
Last week two days in a row they left these gifts, pull tabs threaded onto pine twigs. This isn't only generous, it's creative, it's art. My mind is blown.
Image credits: StuartDahlquist
#3 I Only Wish More People Were Like This Crow
Image credits: sencerb88
“There is no universally agreed-on test for "intelligence" across species, but we think of crows and some other animals as particularly smart because they can approach new or unfamiliar problems and often find new solutions,” Anne Clark, professor of Biological Sciences at Binghamton University, told Bored Panda.
“This is different from just being quick to learn a task such as a dog learning "sit up and beg" for a food item with repetitive rewards. They seem to use a process of "insight" into some problems, understanding the problem per se,” she explained.
#4 Crows Copying The Way Humans Caw
Image credits: CryptoNature
#5 So Cute
Image credits: michellesound
#6 A Friend Nursed An Injured Crow Back To Health After It Got Trapped In Her French Quarter Courtyard. These As Some Of The Things The Crow Has Been Bringing Her As Apparent Gifts
Image credits: Tweetystraw
However, there is a limit to what they can solve, notes Clark. “As shown by the crow species, the New Caledonian crow, which makes and uses probing tools in the wild, crows and other animals may not fully understand what they are doing that solves a problem.”
Crows are generalists, omnivores, and highly social creatures living in groups whose members are changing. So they are forced to “adapt” to their fellow crows, whether through cooperative or competitive behavior, which might be the reason why they’re so smart, says Clark.
#7 Gabby, Our American Crow, Has Mastered Connect Four As Part Of Her Enrichment And Frequently Squares Off Against Her Trainer And Caretaker Sean
Gabby’s record is 15-1. She has to let Sean win every once in awhile to keep his confidence high.
Image credits: Texas State Aquarium
#8 I Found This In The Spot Where I Feed My Crows Every Morning. It's Soaking Wet Because It Was Raining. But If They Did Drop It For Me, That's Absolutely Awesome
Image credits: jlscott0731
#9 Crow Snowboarding And It's Using Plastic As A Sled. Crows Have Been Observed Engaging In Playful Behaviors, Like Sliding Down Snowy Rooftops Or Performing Aerial Acrobatics Just For Fun
Image credits: WTVideo
“If we think about the different kinds of animals that are good problem solvers, they tend to be "generalists" in what they eat or where they live. They specialize in learning new ways to adapt rather than adapting very finely to a single way of life,” she explains.
“They are often omnivores—eating a range of foods—they have a broad range as a species and live in varied environments,” Clark continued. “Usually, these intelligent species are very social (primates, dolphins, and other birds like vultures) and one argument is that living with lots of other individuals selects for "social intelligence," the ability to interpret what others want or are likely to do, to know them as individuals and often to learn from them by some form of observation.”
#10 Crow Helps Hedgehog To Cross The Street
Image credits: dump_acc_91
#11 He Knew He Beat You Too, That's Wild
Image credits: voron_gosha_tv
#12 Crows Are Hilarious. They Seem To Enjoy Having Fun Keeping Themselves Amused. Here’s One That Used To "Hang Around" Outside Our House
Just swaying in the breeze. He used to do this quite regularly.
Image credits: Nikki Williams
These intelligent birds can be befriended by offering nutritious food, which gives an opportunity to observe their behaviors and understand them more, says Clark. “They are complex, with lots of communicative behaviors, living in social groups and living a long time, so individual crows get to know you. Different species of crows (there are at least 46-47 around the world...crows and ravens, all one genus, Corvus) have slightly different social grouping patterns.
Some live only in pairs as adults, others like American crows, can have extended family groups on one territory, others, like fish crows, live in larger groups of unrelated birds of many ages, with regularly shifting membership, although pairs may stick together in those groups. So watching crows teaches you a lot about how social animals live without language per se.”
#13 French Amusement Park "Puy Du Fou" Has Trained A Team Of Crows To Pick Up Garbage And Cigarette-Butts
For every piece of trash thrown into a bin, they’ll automatically receive a reward.
Image credits: troila
#14 That Is Frank. He Is A Solitary Bird, But Also The First To Figure Out That He Gets Quite Bigger Nuts In A Personal Exchange
He jumps up and down until I come out and give him one of the really big peanuts. I bet he is quite smug about how well he trained me too.
Image credits: reddit.com
#15 I Started Feeding Bar Nuts To These Crows That Are Regural To The Patio Of A Bar I Work At. My Collection Of Gifts Finally Started After 3 Months
Image credits: saroj7878
Even though crows can be very social and friendly, there are still things people should avoid doing around them, like trying to get close to their nests. “If crows are yelling at you, you are probably disturbing one of their nests or babies or are near a sick crow that cannot escape,” Clark said.
In case a person finds a young crow on the ground, they should either leave it (if it’s safe for it) or place it high up on the nearest tree, suggests Clark. “Parent crows will call and even defend. But young crows leave the nest before they fly well and can sometimes find themselves on the ground unable to fly up. Just making sure the youngster is off the ground in a bush or tree will give the parents a chance to call it to move upwards.”
#16 Crows Are So Smart! The Bird Was Thirsty And What Matters Is "Water". There Is Solution To Most Things If You Think Out Of The Box
#17 Crow Rides On The Back Of An Eagle
Image credits: Phoo Chan
#18 My Dads Been Feeding This Crow And Now He Sits In His Van With Him
Image credits: Tighe_er
However, don’t get enticed by the idea of bringing a young or even an injured crow home and trying to raise it—it’s illegal to do so in the USA. “You have to have special educational or rehabber permits,” Clark explains. “If need be, call a wildlife rehabilitator to ask what to do or take the injured animal to a vet.”
Something else people should refrain from doing is putting out food for crows that can attract other animals neighbors won’t be fond of, like cats, dogs, rats, foxes, or raccoons. Instead, “Peanuts in shells or dry pet food in small quantities can work,” advised Clark.
#19 I Was In Vietnam Photographing Wildlife And Found An Eagle Pursuing A Crow For A Good While. After Watching Them For A Bit, They Landed And It Turned Out They Were Friends
Image credits: neuralzen
#20 Been Feeding Crows For A Couple Of Months And Got My First Gift Today
Image credits: cutelyaware
#21 I Knew Crows Were Smart But This One Is Actually Dipping His Chicken Nuggets
Image credits: despicable_bri
Another important point she mentions is that crows get the highly pathogenic avian flu (H5N1). They can be especially susceptible to it if they find food in poultry yards or around waterfowl. “If you find a dead or very sick crow, do not pick it up. But let your health department know. They may be doing surveillance for avian flu,” Clark said.
#22 Crows Are Incredibly Intelligent Birds Capable Of Recognizing Human Faces And Holding Grudges
If a crow feels threatened or harmed by a person, it can remember the individual for years. Additionally, crows have been known to warn other crows about dangerous humans, effectively creating a network of information shared among the birds. Their memory and social communication are part of why crows are considered some of the smartest animals on Earth
Image credits: earthpen4518
#23 Crows' Cognitive And Problem-Solving Skills Are Truly Remarkable
Image credits: pattyboosh
#24 Crows Are The Best Birbs
Image credits: tumblr.com
In winter these birds are quite resilient so extra care for them from people isn’t particularly necessary. “Crows in North America have evolved with winter. They will search widely in flocks for food and gather in roosts for safety in the night. So if they are still around in winter, they are probably finding enough food. In northern parts of the USA, they migrate when it gets deeply snowy,” said Clark.
But out of friendliness or the goodness of your heart, you can still provide a local group of them with high-fat foods, which they’ll be likely to be enticed by in winter.
#25 Crows Have Been Spotted Using Sticks To Extract Food From Hard-To-Reach Places, Even Bending The Sticks To Make Then More Effective
Image credits: Dalmiro Cuellar Oficial
#26 Hooded Crow Having Fun Sledding Down A Snow-Covered Windshield
Crows are known for their high level of intelligence in mimicking human behaviors. They’ve often been observed engaging in acts of “play” with remarkably human qualities.
Image credits: to_the_tenth_power
#27 Crows Like To Pull Tails. Some Think It Is To Distract Another Animal From Eating Allowing Either The Crow Itself Or An Accomplice To Snatch The Food Away, While Others Think They Do It For Fun
There’s still a lot more that we can learn about crow behavior, so Clark encourages anyone interested to make video and audio recordings of them. In addition to being a fun activity, the observations and recordings could also be a great help to bird enthusiasts and experts!
#28 I Received My First Gifts
I'm a little late posting it but I received my first gifts November 26th and I've got to say, I didn't expect the feelings that accompanied those gifts, as someone who struggles daily with my mental and physical health, I am truly grateful for the love that they've shown me and for the joy that they bring.
Also, I bought a little pack of tiny crows to gift to them, I thought it would be fun to see if they accept them.
Image credits: No_Fig1560
#29 Crow Dropping A Nut Into The Intersection So Traffic Will Run Over It And Crack It Open For Him
Image credits: Tony_Hamilton87
#30 I Was Weeding Today And Discovered That My Crowbros Started Planting Their Own Peanuts
Image credits: Drunarawr
#31 My Friend Mr. Crow. I Feed Him By Hand. Sometimes He Pecks Me Gently And Tells Me To Give Food
Image credits: mayankify
#32 My Crows Have Gifted Me Texas
Image credits: Fishy_Mistakes
#33 Theft And Deception: They Cleverly Hide Their Food Caches And Even Fake Hiding Spots To Throw Off Potential Thieves, Including Other Crows
Image credits: Matt R/pexels (not an actual photo)
#34 Like Parrots, Some Crows In Captivity Can Mimic Human Words And Phrases, Often With Surprising Accuracy
Image credits: Mauricio Ortiz/pexels (not an actual photo)
#35 Was Sitting On My Couch When Suddenly A Crow Came And Left A Marble On My Roof
i was just sitting here when suddenly i heard some noise above me and looked up to see a crow on the skylight, it dropped a marble down, watched it start to roll away then went and picked it up and put it down somewhere where it wouldn’t roll away, then simply left, there’s a family of crows living in a tree right beside my house and they often stare at me when i’m skating in my driveway by there tree, but i’ve never fed them or anything, nor have i bothered them though. the marble has been there since yesterday now, was it meant as a gift?
Image credits: Impossible-Meal9912
#36 Understanding Social Hierarchies: Crows Know How To Navigate Their Complex Social Structures, Recognize Dominance Hierarchies, And Adjust Their Behavior Accordingly
Image credits: pxhere.com (not an actual photo)
#37 When A Crow Dies, Others Gather Around Its Body, Seemingly To Investigate And Learn From The Situation, Possibly To Identify Potential Threats
Image credits: Alexander Savchuk/pexels (not an actual photo)
#38 They Really Are Quite Intelligent
Image credits: stan_sdcollins
#39 Thirsty Crow
Image credits: UmarGanie1
#40 New Caledonian Crows Use Tools To Forage For Food In The Wild. Captive New Caledonian Crows Have Even Made Hooked Tools From Wire To Obtain Food Despite Never Having Seen Wire Before
Image credits: AGreatWind
#41 Crow Engaging In A Phenomenon Called “Anting”. They Purposefully Rub Ants Who, Sensing Danger, Discharge Formic Acid, Which Is Absorbed Into The Bird's Body And Acts As A Natural Insecticide
Image credits: ExpertAccident
#42 Clever Little Swoopy Sr Has Learned How To Maximize Her Almond Haul: By Following Me 4x, Making Me Think She Didn't See The Food I Left Her (So I Leave More)
When I go back, ALL the almonds are gone.
1st location, almonds were strewn in the grass. 2nd on the stairs. 3rd near the sign post. 4th under the trees. AND THEN she digged in. Puts in the work for her and her husband Daisy (that's right Daisy's the male) who is content with the first pile he sees. Unlike little Swoopy. She's my sweetie.
To note: I don't feed them everyday, but I do feed them frequently 3-4x a week, once a day.
Image credits: Affectionate_Sky2264
#43 Australian Crows Get Around The Dangers Of Eating Poisonous, Invasive, Cane Toads By Flipping Them Over And Eating Only Their Thighs, Tongues And Intestines
Image credits: FillsYourNiche
#44 Smart Crow Has Impressive Problem-Solving Skills
Image credits: MetDaan Adventure
#45 Crows Are Really Smart After All. This Crow Locks The Box Before Going Out
Image credits: ThoryRajkumar
#46 My Crows Left Me A Gift Today
Image credits: EldritchSpider
#47 Counting And Understanding Numbers: Crows Have Demonstrated The Ability To Distinguish Between Different Quantities, Showing Numerical Cognition On Par With Some Primates
Image credits: pxhere.com (not an actual photo)
#48 I Feed The Crows At A Local Park, But Today I Found This At My House
Image credits: bouquet_of_irises
#49 Smart Sales Person Identify The Right Customer, Take Bold Approach And Have His Big Order From One Customer. Not So Smart Sales Person Put Hard Work Scouting For Small Small Orders
Can't blame pigeon though whose intelligence is around a 2-year-old child while crow's intelligence is of a 7-year-old human child.
Image credits: milindpappu
