Somerset Ornithological Society - Bird News
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intelligent corvids

Most people seem to agree that corvids are amongst the most intelligent of birds. Over the past week, I have been observing behaviour in my garden that I have not seen or heard of before. A magpie has learnt to feed on one of my large nut feeders. The beak is too big to pick individual pieces of nut out from the mesh, so he (or she) stabs at the nuts to break them up and then flies down to pick up the pieces from the stone floor. Quite clever in itself, but then the intelligence comes in.
As soon as the magpie touches the ground, a crow flies in as if from nowhere, chases the magpie off and eats the peanuts.
This is not coincidence as I have witnessed this behaviour on at least five occasions. As I am out at work most of the day, it could be happening all day long.

Paddy