Tool use in birds

In the past, people thought birds were stupid, hence the term ‘bird-brained’. But in fact, some of our feathered friends are far cleverer than we might think. Tool use has now been found in a number of different birds.

And one group in particular - the corvids - has astonished scientists with extraordinary feats of memory, an ability to employ complex social reasoning and, perhaps most strikingly, a remarkable aptitude for crafting and using tools.

The corvids - a group that includes crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays and magpies - contain some of the most social species of birds. When living with others it is advantageous to be intelligent enough to recognize individuals, to form alliances and foster relationships.

While the birds' social intelligence has continued to impress, it is perhaps their physical intelligence, and in particular their tool use, that has stirred the most interest.

Recent studies reveal that corvids' tool-use may at least rival, and even surpass, that of primates, such as chimpanzees. Christopher Bird, who is based at the department of zoology at Cambridge University in the UK says: "I would rate corvids as being as intelligent as primates in many ways."

Birds showing tool use include New Caledonian Crows, Rooks and Parrots.