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Ever since I learned that crows have intelligence on-par with human children I can't help but be fascinated whenever I see them.
I don't know if you actually have one little blackbird, but you're smart enough to conceivably have a train of thought and a conception of self. What do you think about the world? About me and other humans? About yourself? Do you have little corvid aspirations and dreams? Ornithologists have observed crows having social circles with behaviors resembling human cliques and social politics, do you have little corvid friends? Little corvid rivals? What do you do when you hang out?
The idea of these tiny little creatures wholly separate from humanity being smart enough to have their own inner lives and social structures is endlessly fascinating to me.
Analysis of crow neural activity has shown that crows are likely able to ponder their own knowledge. Not just know things, but think about the fact that they know things, how they know what they know, and how they can apply it to new situations. Crows have also been observed passing down knowledge. Not just normal "This is how you hunt" things every animal does either, unique specialized skills.
Are there crow philosophers? Crow historians? Do crows in certain regions have an oral tradition and history? Crows mate for life, are there crow families that have a long history of passing down specific unique skillsets valuable to the local crow population? Are there crow apprenticeships where a curious fledgling can learn these skills and become an honorary member of the family? Is corvid social status a thing?
They're fucking fascinating little birds.
@maysaynya@eldritch.cafe@feedtunes the crow knows things, it knows it knows things because it knows what it doesn't know, by subtracting what it does know from what it doesn't know it obtains a "thing"...
@feedtunes some bird species have local/regional “accents” in their bird sounds
@hazelnot@sunbeam.city@feedtunes I am genuinely convinced that if and when something really bad happens to humanity the corvids are gonna be the next kind of people, at least on the land
@feedtunes I genuinely believe that most species are capable of this level of cognition. The only limits are the ability to transfer knowledge and, in the academic framing, our anthropomorphised perception of their behaviours.
@IceWolf@masto.brightfur.net@feedtunes I mean yeah, humans aren't special! :3
It makes WAY more sense to just assume they're on par, can think, can think about thinking, etc., than to just go "okay now PROVE you're a person or get treated like an object" like human society basically always does to nonhumans.
Will somebody please decode their language already?? It's killing me that people barely seem to try to decode animal languages 
. I want to know what they're saying!!!! They have a lot to say. I want to know what it is and converse with them! But I've got like a job and stuff. I don't have time to set up cameras and microphones everywhere and pour through all that data. I also don't have enough degrees someone please do this for me. For all of us.
@feedtunes
they need to live longer
imagine what theyd come up with with more time
Crows from Boston are especially smart. They know to post a lookout on a tree when they're eating roadkill.
But scientists were baffled that they could escape small vehicles, but tractor-trailers would kill the whole group almost every time.
Turns out Bostonian crows only knew how to say "Cah!"
@feedtunes
Having spent twelve years watching a family of crows continue to live in the same white pine trees year after year, I think they know who they are and where they're from.
None of the "reason" humans can use to explain our own intelligence (ie tools, philosophy, history, language, etc) negates the probability that many many many (most?all?) living things have depth, intellect, & "reason" of their own.
@feedtunes This and the comments too ^
But also they know what's up...
It's been my experience animals are equal to us in this department but you have to pay attention to it or you're going to miss it... 
@feedtunes imagine them and cats in an alliance. us hoomans would be toast
not to mention they already communicate iirc, and they can imitate human speech.
do they have crow money, or do they have no such interest? ... do they trade, or even barter?
they are absolutely incredible.
also did you know someone's taught gorillas sign language? they found out that they are not capable of asking questions, of seeking knowledge that they know they don't have, which is almost unsettling but it's so cool to know that
Corvidae rock!
@feedtunes That's really cool. Could you please point me towards the relevant papers?