Is the owl the smartest breed of bird?
Not even close.
Although steriotypes of animal classrooms often include an owl teacher, owls actually aren’t all that smart. Here are more intelligent birds:
Crows. The solemn, death-linked birds are actually remarkably intelligent, known to use tools. One of the most intelligent species is the New Caledonian specie, which has been known to use tools such as sticks to reach insects. Betty, a New Caledonian crow, was able to bend a stick of metal and use it as a hook to grab a bucket of food. This was among an impressive lot of experiments that proved crows smarter that cats, dogs, and certain primates, even. I also read in an Audubon magazine that crows can memorize neighborhoods and what people to trust.
Ravens. Of course, the larger bretheren of the crow is also intelligent. While I do not have experimental proof, it’s common knowledge that ravens can spot cheaters within their groups and refuse to work with them. Ravens can also mimic noises, and yes, talk, as shown here.
Parrots. Well, you saw this coming, I’m sure. Parrots have been proven to be intelligent many, many times. Some have the intelligence of a 2–5 year old child, which is pretty damned impressive, if you ask me, since it takes a lot to live up to human standards. Some of the most intelligent parrots include African greys and yellow-napede amazons, who can learn many, may words. At this one bird store, I once held a conversation with a yellow-naped amazon! Parrots can be shockingly intelligent, like in the case of Alex the African grey. Owned by Irene Pepperberg, Alex could be taught to do math and could even answer certain questions (“What’s the color of corn?” “Yellow!”). Had he not died earlier, Alex would’ve learn even more.
So, yeah, among these birds, owls are unremarkable. Maybe it’s the eyes?
