Are You Smarter Than a Crow?

With their plain black feathers and short beaks, crows aren’t the fanciest- looking birds out there—but they are the smartest! They use tools, recognize human faces, plan for the future, and more. But the most impressive thing about crows is their math smarts. In fact, other than humans, crows might be the best mathematicians in the animal kingdom!

“Crows often get a reputation for being rowdy or unfriendly, but in my experience, they’re quite social,” says Andreas Nieder, a professor of animal physiology at the University of Tübingen in Germany. “What stands out most is how eager they are to interact with us. They’re curious, engaged, and each one has its own unique character.”

Nieder has been studying crows for more than 15 years. In a recent experiment, crows learned how to peck or squawk a specific number of times—meaning they were counting in their heads. That led Nieder to wonder: If crows can count, could they understand other math concepts?

Crows are considered some of the smartest birds in the world. They can use tools, recognize human faces, and more. But their most impressive talent? Other than humans, crows might be the best animals at math!

“Crows often get a reputation for being unfriendly,” says Andreas Nieder. He studies animal intelligence at the University of Tübingen in Germany. He says crows are actually very social and curious. “What stands out most is how eager they are to interact with us,” he adds. 

Nieder has studied crows for more than 15 years. In a recent experiment, the birds learned to peck or squawk a specific number of times. That meant they were counting in their heads, like humans can. Nieder wondered if they could understand other math ideas too.

To test his theory, Nieder had his feathery friends sit in front of a computer screen. The experiment was planned just like a video game. In each level, the screen would flash a set of shapes, with one outlier shape different from the others. For example, one level would show five circles and one star. If the crow pecked on the star, it would get a treat.

The crows quickly learned the rules of the game. But what was very surprising was how good they were at it—even without any treats! The crows confidently cleared higher levels, where they’d be given five identical squares and one asymmetric quadrilateral. This is more complicated than it looks, Nieder says. For instance, the crow would have to understand different lengths and positions of each shape and immediately compare them.

“In other words, the crows seemed to possess an intuitive grasp of geometric structure, similar to humans,” Nieder says. “My favorite part of working with crows is witnessing how quickly they grasp complex tasks. It’s truly fascinating to see their cognitive abilities in action.”

To find out, Nieder had crows sit in front of a computer screen. The experiment was set up like a video game. In each level, the screen would flash a set of shapes. One shape was different from the others. For example, one level had five circles and one star. If the crow pecked the star, it got a treat. 

The crows quickly learned the rules of the game. And Nieder was surprised by how good at it they were. They even kept playing without treats! Higher levels of the game got harder. For example, the crows would see five squares and one uneven four-sided shape. They had to compare shapes of different lengths and in different positions. They still confidently picked right.  

The crows seemed to have a built-in sense of geometry—just like humans do. “My favorite part of working with crows is seeing how quickly they grasp complex tasks,” says Nieder. “It’s truly fascinating.”