Crows are even smarter than we thought
Research into crows’ ability to make and use tools, form “mental templates,” recognize human faces, and communicate complex information is prompting renewed debate over how unique human intelligence really is. Commenters share field observations and related studies on corvids, parrots, cephalopods, and other animals, arguing that many species show sophisticated cognition, social behavior, and even elements of language. The thread also explores ethical and philosophical implications, from how we define intelligence and consciousness to what this means for how humans treat non‑human animals and think about AI.
Human assumptions about animal intelligence
- Many argue it’s odd we’re still “surprised” by smart animals; they see this as a form of human arrogance, akin to old ideas like Earth being the center of the universe.
- Others say it is surprising because humans still appear qualitatively different, though when you try to define the difference, exceptions (e.g., animal tool use) appear.
Crow cognition and capacities
- Crows and other corvids are cited as having dense, efficient brains, complex social structures, tool use, multi-step planning, and even apparent cooperation with other species (e.g., guiding wolves to carcasses).
- The new result about “mental templates” is seen as an extension of prior work on New Caledonian crows and other birds; some note the real novelty is that such abilities may be more widespread across crow species.
- There is debate over whether behaviors are “true” flexible learning vs. instinctive or mimicry-based.
Anecdotal observations
- Numerous stories: crows recognizing individual humans for years, sharing information about “dangerous” people, holding grudges, leaving gifts (often shiny objects), and “protecting” properties from other animals.
- Several accounts describe crows coordinating attacks, mobbing predators or disliked humans, and seemingly mourning or defending dead conspecifics.
- Some feed crows and receive repeated behavioral responses (communication calls, glass fragments as “payment,” etc.).
Comparisons to AI and definitions of intelligence
- Some compare crow intelligence to large language models: smaller systems can still reason within limited domains; frozen models are likened to “brains” stuck at inference-only.
- Multiple commenters stress that “intelligence” is poorly defined and context-dependent; many species may surpass humans in specific domains (echolocation, distributed control, instinctive skills).
- There’s debate over whether all life is “intelligent” vs. reserving the term for adaptive, general-purpose cognition.
Ethics, status, and human exceptionalism
- Several argue that recognizing animal intelligence should impact how we treat and eat other species, while others emphasize human cognitive uniqueness (language, symbolic thought, meta-cognition, rapid learning in children).
- Some frame human specialness less as raw intelligence and more as hands, fire, social accumulation of knowledge, and ego or motivation.
Methodological and interpretive cautions
- A few question experimental details (number/complexity of shapes, “good enough” fits, imprinting flexibility).
- There is general appreciation for the study but pushback on sensational headlines like “smarter than we thought.”