Sophia F., Deckside Storyteller
Mar 17, 2026
Think crows are just... birds? Think again.
In her latest piece, 9-year-old Junior Journalist Sophia makes a pretty compelling case that crows might be the most underrated creatures on the planet — from the tools they craft (yes, craft) to the surprisingly complex social calls that hold their communities together. Plus: what does a crow's brain have in common with yours?
Hey, everyone! Today, I'll tell you more about crows. If you think they're not awesome, think again!
First, crows are very smart. They use and make tools. They're, aside from us humans, the only animals that make hooked tools (along with other species in the Corvus genus). They have really good memory. Their brains are small but packed with intelligence. I'll explain more about those things later, though.
Second, crows' brains are unique and bigger than other birds brains. And like us, they have an "intellectual powerhouse". Ours is the PFC and crows have an NCL (NCL and PFC are abbreviations for "nidopallium caudolaterale" and "pre frontal cortex"). A crow's NCL serves as a center for a lot of things, including certain types of decision-making and memory.
Last, crows are often very social. I'd say they let newcomers into their groups, too (usually). They even use social calls! The call "Ko!" is an alert crows use to warn others about danger. "Caw-caw!" is a call to, well, call a crow's family together to defend the family's territory from other crows (see what I meant with "usually"?). And lastly, the call "CAA-AW!" is the assembly call; in other words, it can be used by a crow to gather all the crows in the area to fight a predator.
Okay, so I'm now done with another informative text. I hope you've learned something that made you believe, like me, that crows are fascinating. And on that note, goodbye, everyone!
About the Author:
Sophia is 9 years old and one of our bright Junior Journalists at The Rising Tide. She loves turning what she learns into fun, informative stories for curious readers like you. When she's not writing, she’s busy discovering new facts and sharing her love of learning with the Mensa Youth community. Click here to learn more about Sophia!