Hooded crows: The Einstein of birds is often fooled by reflections

A hooded crow has brains, strong claws, and a razor-sharp beak — but it has a bit of an image problem

A hooded crow can be equally at home on the coast, in the mountains, or in city centres

A hooded crow is knocking on a bedroom window in the early morning, interrupting the owner’s beauty-sleep. It’s a frequent complaint at this time of year when birds are establishing breeding territories. The image in a window pane is ‘a red rag to a bull’. The bird ‘thinks’ that a challenger is invading its patch.

Robins, thrushes, and starlings are the usual offenders. A wagtail, flying past a car, may catch a fleeting image of itself in a wing mirror and return repeatedly to check it out. This avian helicopter’s long tail gives it the aerobatic skills to do so.