Having been at the beach and seeing seagulls drop clams and oysters on the rock jetty, I totally believe it!
Birds is smart suckers!
Tokyo crows are scary smart. I can’t decide if I love them or hate them. They’ve got moxie. They love mischief and have an obvious sense of humor at times. One of the most impressive things I learned about them is their trick of stealing other bird’s eggs — and cooking them.
Seriously. The crows would take the eggs and bury them in the hot rocks next to the rails during the hottest summer midday hours, and then come back hours later after the interior cooked enough to be edible with their beaks, break it open, and chow down. That’s a three step process, and probably above the ability of a three year old, if you get right down to cases.
However, it must be said, they are not graceful flyers. Their wings use a lot of brute force and have none of the grace of a swallow — or even a pigeon. It is, however, effective and they get where they’re going, and get what they want. Just not pretty.
If there were a patron animal for chess players, I couldn’t think of a more worthy animal than the crow. Cunning to a fault and capable of unbelievable sneakiness, chutspah, and ultimately cerebral. If that’s not a good description of a good chess partner, I don’t know what is.