Here's why you should be proud to be bird brained

BEING called “bird-brained” should no longer be seen as an insult. Quite the opposite, in fact, for research is showing that wild birds can be intelligent animals, with crows being the brightest of them all — second only to people.

Try to keep crows away from crops, or from bird-feeders designed for smaller species, and you’’ll quickly discover what a challenge they can present. I’ve seen tenacious crows twist, shake and turn birdseed containers upside down in order to get at the food.

Louis Lefebvre, a researcher at McGill University, Montreal, who has developed a technique for gauging birds’ IQ based on their problem-solving skills, has concluded the American crow is the smartest of them all.