The exceptional intelligence of corvids has significant implications for their welfare in both wild and captive settings, and for how we think about avian cognition generally.
Corvids with unmet cognitive needs in captive or deprived environments likely experience boredom and frustration analogous to that in cognitively complex mammals. Wild corvids displaced from territories suffer social disruption that affects long-term welfare. The cognitive sophistication of corvids argues for welfare consideration that goes beyond basic physical needs to encompass mental stimulation and social complexity.