Every weekday at 9 A.M., a crow caws in Paris’ Jardin des Plantes, signaling the arrival of ornithologist Frédéric Jiguet. Despite the crows’ disdain for him, Jiguet embarked on a mission to study them, eventually catching and releasing over thirteen hundred birds to track their movements. His work revealed the intelligence and social learning abilities of crows, challenging preconceived notions about bird cognition. Although attempts to train crows to collect trash for rewards have largely failed, efforts like Jiguet’s collaborative project with business-school graduate Jules Mollaret to educate people on crows and plastic waste show a new way of relating to these clever creatures.
https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/the-magic-of-bird-brains