We’ve all watched videos of crows solving puzzles or parrots having full-on conversations.
We’ve wondered which bird truly earns the title of the smartest in the world.
In this deep dive, we explore the leading contenders, the tests researchers use, and real stories that show off avian genius.
By the end, you’ll appreciate that bird intelligence is as varied as the species themselves—and you might even discover ways to observe it in your own garden.
How Scientists Measure Bird Intelligence
There’s no single test that defines “bird smarts.” Instead, researchers use a mix of cognitive tasks to assess different forms of intelligence, including:
- Tool-use experiments, where birds fashion sticks or hooks to retrieve food.
- Puzzle-box challenges, testing problem-solving speed and persistence.
- Mirror self-recognition, indicating self-awareness.
- Social learning tasks, measuring how quickly a bird copies a peer.
Each method highlights different cognitive strengths.
A bird that nails one test might falter in another, so the “smartest” label often goes to those excelling across multiple domains.
Want to try some simple tests at home? See how to observe bird intelligence in your garden.
Crows and Ravens: Masters of Tools and Strategy
Crows and ravens (genus Corvus) regularly top intelligence charts.
They demonstrate:
- Hook creation: New Caledonian crows bend wire into hooks to fish out food from tubes.
- Sequential problem solving: They perform multi-step tasks—pulling strings, dropping stones—to trigger dispensers.
- Crow “funerals”: Groups gather around a deceased peer, possibly sharing social information about threats.
- Facial recognition: They remember individual human faces and hold grudges against those who once threatened them.
To learn how to interact with these birds yourself, read how to train a crow to bring you gifts.
Parrots: The Vocal Virtuosos
Parrots, especially African greys, shine in communication and social cognition.
They excel in:
- Vocal mimicry: Copying human speech with clarity and context.
- Vocabulary tests: Alex, the famous African grey, identified colours, shapes, and numbers—achieving a vocabulary of over 100 words.
- Concept understanding: He grasped the concept of “same” versus “different” in object pairs.
- Emotional intelligence: They form strong bonds with humans, showing signs of jealousy, empathy, and humour.
Want to care for or interact with parrots? Explore what do parakeets eat to ensure you’re meeting their nutritional needs.
Kea: The Alpine Problem-Solver
The kea of New Zealand stands out among parrots for sheer inquisitiveness.
These mountain parrots:
- Dismantle backpacks to scavenge for snacks.
- Play with objects, sliding on snow and tossing stones for fun.
- Work in pairs to solve puzzles, each taking turns.
- Explore novel items, showing little fear of humans or new environments.
Researchers at the University of Auckland noted that juvenile kea outperform adults on certain puzzle tasks—suggesting play drives cognitive development.
Tool Use Across Species
Beyond corvids and parrots, several species surprise with tool use:
- Egyptian vultures crack eggs by dropping stones.
- Green herons use bait—small fish or insects—to lure prey within striking distance.
- Goffin’s cockatoos fashion sticks to reach hidden treats in laboratory settings.
These examples remind us: intelligence in birds often evolves to solve ecological challenges. If you’re managing interactions with large birds, like geese or doves, read how to get rid of Egyptian geese or how to get rid of doves on the roof.
Social Learning and Culture
Birds transmit learned behaviours through social learning, creating distinct “cultures”:
- Song dialects in songbirds vary by region and generation.
- Tool-use techniques in crows pass from parent to offspring.
- Feeding traditions, like coastal gulls dropping shellfish from heights, spread across colonies.
Such cultural transmission shows birds do more than rote trial-and-error—they observe, imitate, and refine.
Memory and Planning
Caching birds, like jays and nutcrackers, demonstrate remarkable spatial memory:
- Clark’s nutcracker hides up to 30,000 pine seeds each autumn, retrieving 70–85% months later.
- Eurasian jays remember not only hiding spots but also which caches have been pilfered and re-hide items accordingly.
These feats rival many mammalian examples of long-term memory. Related read: How long do crows live and how lifespan impacts learning and memory.
Testing Self-Awareness
Mirror tests gauge self-recognition:
- Magpies pass mirror tests, pecking marks on their bodies they can only see via reflection.
- European magpies uniquely among non-mammals demonstrate this self-awareness, a trait once thought limited to primates, dolphins, and elephants.
Real Stories
- In Bristol, a local found a crow returning a ring in exchange for daily treats.
- A homeowner in Cornwall recorded a woodpecker using a small stone to drum at a feeder—then retreat to eat the crumbs created.
- In Manchester, a flock of jackdaws learned to open secured bins by collaborating—one held the lid while another scavenged.
These tales show intelligence manifests in everyday interactions.
How to Observe Bird Intelligence Yourself
- Puzzle feeder: Hang a feeder requiring a simple mechanism—see which species solve it.
- Mirror experiment: Place a non-toxic mark on a bird’s cage and note reactions when a mirror is introduced.
- Observation log: Record problem-solving steps, tool use, and social interactions over weeks.
FAQs
Q: Which bird is definitively the smartest?
A: No single answer—corvids excel in tool use, parrots in communication, kea in play-driven problem solving.
Q: Are these tests humane?
A: Yes—ethical protocols ensure no harm. Birds choose to participate and can opt out.
Q: Can I train my pet bird to use tools?
A: With patience and positive reinforcement, many parrots and cockatoos learn basic tool tasks .
Q: Do larger brains mean smarter birds?
A: Not necessarily. Relative brain size and brain structure (nidopallium complexity) correlate better with cognitive skills.
Q: How can I support bird intelligence research?
A: Participate in citizen-science projects like nest-watch or feeder-watch, contributing observations to global databases.