[MHGinTN]

This particular parrot was used to assist in teaching a new younger parrot of the same species. The adult was testy at times, supportive at others. At one point, this adult parrot became defensive of his species member, then turned to chide the younger bird!

I can attest to birds being smart ... the Blue Jays born in my trees return to pick up broken Black Walnuts from the driveway, then fly up into the tree to find a suitable fork in limbs into which to place the halves so they can peck at the meat inside. When the meat is gone, they pick up the shell and toss it down, then go for another and return to their crook to extract the meat!

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I can attest to birds being smart ... the Blue Jays born in my trees return to pick up broken Black Walnuts from the driveway, then fly up into the tree to find a suitable fork in limbs into which to place the halves so they can peck at the meat inside. When the meat is gone, they pick up the shell and toss it down, then go for another and return to their crook to extract the meat!

Try and top this one: some twenty years ago, my grandmother had a problem with birds flying down and gobbling up a row of seedlings in her vegetable garden. So she erected a fence to protect the seedlings from aerial attacks. So what did the birds do? They simply started walking along the row munching the seedlings!

[Jack Black]

The crows in my neighborhood take the walnuts and drop them onto the road (the cul de sac, no less) to break them open. Very interesting behavior.

[Axenolith]

While sampling water at a CHP station in Williams I saw this sparrow land on a gutter, look into the downspout, and then jump in. With a lot of scrabbling and scratching noises I could hear it go down the chute until it shot out of the bottom with a loud chirp. It then went and GOT some others, who proceeded to follow it in repeatedly doing the same thing like they had just found the neatest thing since McDonalds lot crumbs. It was bizarre to say the least, and seemed to demonstrate a heck of a lot more cognizant aptitude than I'd ever given them credit for...