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Although many people seem to think them dirty or associate them with death, ravens and crows are known to be the smartest birds in the world. The corvid family, which includes crows, ravens, and jackdaws, have shown time and time again that they’re not only intelligent, but capable of adapting extremely well to life alongside humans. Recent tests have shown that, despite having much smaller brains, these birds might be as smart as chimpanzees.

The cylinder test is commonly used to measure animal’s inhibitory control, which allows them (and us by association) to put aside instinct in favor of rational action. In that test, a treat is placed within a clear tube, and animals are watched to see if they try to get the treat directly, or figure out to go through the open ends of the tube.

Recently, a University of Oxford tam tested crows, ravens…