Corvids including crows, ravens, and jays are among the most cognitively sophisticated birds, and their welfare in urban environments raises interesting questions about the relationship between intelligence and welfare needs.
The welfare implications of corvid cognition are significant: animals capable of planning, episodic-like memory, social learning, and possible mental state attribution likely have richer subjective experience than less cognitively complex birds. Urban corvids navigate a world that provides cognitive stimulation through novel problem-solving opportunities while also posing threats from traffic, lead poisoning, and persecution. Their intelligence means they likely experience the loss of companions, the frustration of obstacles, and the satisfaction of successful foraging in ways that are qualitatively richer than assumed for birds. Improving corvid welfare in urban environments involves reducing specific mortality causes while maintaining the habitat complexity that engages their considerable cognitive capacities.