Crows are some of the smartest birds out there; still, we often underestimate their intelligence. However, every once in a while, their remarkably clever ways are more than apparent. Across social media, people are sharing amazing videos of genius-level crow behavior. This YouTube video shows a crow stealing cash from a woman’s purse! Read here to learn more about the video and why crows are so smart.
The average size for the American crow is between 40 and 503 centimeters; they weigh up to 620 grams.
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About the Video
The video above shows a crow performing an amazing trick. The crow, clearly trained by humans, unzips a purse, takes money out, and plays with it. While this might not be the most ethical trick to teach a crow, it is still amazing and funny to see. Similar to training a dog, rewarding the crow for its thieving behavior has taught it to repeat the trick.
How Smart Are Crows?
Crows, as well as other members of the Corvidae family, are extremely intelligent birds. This family includes ravens, magpies, jays, and other birds. They are known as the smartest bird family on earth thanks to their amazing learning and problem-solving abilities. By using tools, social learning, and advanced planning, these birds separate themselves from other species in terms of cognition. Physiologically, these birds are built differently. For their size, crows’ brains are densely packed with neurons, which enables more complex decision-making.
Crows’ amazing abilities include recognizing human faces and other crows, revealing they have strong memories and can demonstrate metacognition (knowing what you know, a form of self-reflection). This intelligence leads to remarkable behaviors; for example, crows intentionally leave nuts on roads so that cars will crack them open.
Are All Crows Smart?
While not all crow species are equally intelligent, they are all generally smarter than other birds. There are around 40 species of crows, and some have been studied more than others. For example, the New Caledonian crow is particularly famous. Due to their amazing tool-making abilities, they are considered extremely intelligent. However, all crows display intelligence in their own unique ways. The common crow can differentiate between numbers and faces. Although the species of crow in the video above isn’t specified, it’s clear that this clever money-stealer is highly intelligent.
