Crows could be the smartest animal other than primates

Crows could be the smartest animal other than primates Getty Images Crows have long been considered cunning. “At the very least, it forces us to reassess how insightful Betty’s behaviour was.” New Caledonian crows belong to the corvid family of birds – as do jackdaws, rooks, jays, magpies and ravens. Some birds, like the New Caledonian crows he studies – can do remarkable things. Ranking the intelligence of animals seems an increasingly pointless exercise when one considers the really important thing: how well that animal is adapted to its niche In the wild, New Caledonians use their tools to scoop insects out of holes, for example in tree trunks. Cognition opens a door to behaviour that isn’t necessarily essential for survival McCoy, like Rutz, also studies New Caledonian crows.