Average IQ of a Crow: Are Crows as Smart as a 7-Year-Old?

6 min read · IQ Tester

There's no real average IQ of a crow, because IQ tests only work for humans. But the famous "crows are as smart as a 7-year-old" line has a real source: in a 2014 study, New Caledonian crows solved water-displacement puzzles (inspired by Aesop's fable) about as well as children aged roughly 5 to 7. On some skills, crows punch way above their brain size.

If a bird can out-puzzle a first grader, you can definitely sharpen your own problem solving, and IQ Tester shows you which part to work on first: Find my weak spots.

Average IQ of a crow: the short answer

Here's what you can actually say about crow smarts:

• IQ number: none. Anything like "crow IQ 70" is made up.
• Kid comparison: in specific puzzle tasks, crows performed like children of about 5 to 7.
• Brain: tiny, but packed. A 2016 study found bird brains, especially in crows and parrots, cram neurons much more densely than mammal brains of the same size.
• Standout skills: tool making, planning, memory and recognizing individual human faces.

So when people on Reddit ask "what's the IQ of a crow," the honest answer is "no number, but seriously impressive."

The Aesop's fable experiment

You probably heard this fable as a kid: a thirsty crow finds a jug with water too low to reach, so it drops pebbles in until the water rises. Scientists asked: would real birds do that?

Rooks did it first

In 2009, researchers Christopher Bird and Nathan Emery showed that rooks (members of the crow family) dropped stones into a tube of water to raise a floating worm within reach.

Then New Caledonian crows

In 2014, a team led by Sarah Jelbert tested New Caledonian crows on a set of water-tube tasks. The crows figured out that:

• Solid objects raise water, but hollow ones barely help.
• Sinking objects work better than floating ones.
• A tube with water works; a tube with sand doesn't.

The researchers compared the results with earlier studies on children, and the crows performed at a level similar to kids around 5 to 7 years old. That's where "crows are as smart as a 7-year-old" headlines came from. Worth knowing: the crows still failed some trickier versions, so this is "impressive on specific tasks," not "a crow could do your homework."

Crows that make tools

Plenty of animals use tools. Crows make them.

Betty and the wire hook

In a famous 2002 study from Oxford, a New Caledonian crow named Betty bent a straight piece of wire into a hook to lift a food bucket out of a tube. Researchers hadn't taught her that.

Wild tool making

In the wild, New Caledonian crows shape twigs and leaves into hooks and probes to pull insects from dead wood. Different groups use slightly different designs, which some researchers compare to local "styles."

Ravens plan ahead

In a 2017 study, ravens picked a tool they couldn't use yet but would need later, and saved it. Planning for the future was long thought to be almost only a great-ape skill.

Crows remember faces (and hold grudges)

This is the one that goes viral on TikTok every few months, and it's real.

At the University of Washington, researcher John Marzluff and his team wore a specific rubber mask while trapping and banding wild crows. Afterward, crows scolded and mobbed anyone wearing that mask, even years later. Crows that had never been trapped joined in, apparently learning from others which face was "dangerous."

So yes, crows hold grudges. They also seem to remember people who treat them well. Moral of the story: be nice to the crows on your walk to school.

Why face memory matters

Recognizing individuals, remembering what they did and passing that info on is a big deal. It's social intelligence plus long-term memory, two things we usually think of as very human.

Crows vs ravens vs parrots

The corvid family (crows, ravens, rooks, jays, magpies) and parrots are the brainiest birds. How do they compare?

On the average IQ of a corvid, there's no clear winner. Crows are the tool champs, ravens the planners, and magpies surprised scientists by passing the mirror test. Parrots win on "talking." Dolphins also passed the mirror test, as covered in dolphin IQ compared to humans.

For where crows land against chimps and dolphins, see our top 10 smartest animals ranking. Spoiler: crows are the most impressive per gram of brain.

What crows teach us about problem solving

Crows don't have hands, big brains or a school system. Yet they solve things by:

1. Testing, not assuming. Drop a stone, watch the water, adjust.
2. Using the right tool. Solid over hollow. Hook over straight stick.
3. Remembering what worked. And what (or who) didn't.
4. Learning from the group. Crows that were never trapped still learned which mask was bad.

You can steal this playbook for homework, revision (UK) / studying (US), coding bugs, or that impossible escape-room puzzle.

The crow method for your own brain

• Step 1: Try one small thing and watch what changes.
• Step 2: If nothing changes, switch tools (a diagram instead of notes, a different formula).
• Step 3: Write down what worked so future-you remembers.
• Step 4: Ask a friend how they solved it.

The part crows are better at than us? Honest feedback. The water either rises or it doesn't. When you study alone, you rarely know if you're actually improving or just feeling busy.

IQ Tester gives you the "did the water rise?" moment: 20 untimed questions on number series, verbal analogies, logic and patterns, where hard questions count for more. Your result shows your strongest categories, and the guides find the weak spot (memory, speed, patterns and more) and give you a short daily drill. Find my weak spots

Out-think the average IQ of a crow

A crow can raise the water level. You can raise your reasoning. In the next minute you can start IQ Tester's 20 untimed questions (your answers save if you close the tab) and see your free score band plus three of your four category strengths. Then drill the weak one like a crow with a pebble.

Find my weak spots

FAQ

What is the IQ of a crow?

Crows don't have a real IQ score, since IQ tests are made for humans. In specific puzzle experiments, New Caledonian crows performed at a level similar to children around 5 to 7 years old.

Are crows as smart as a 7-year-old?

Only on certain tasks. In the Aesop's fable water tests, crows solved several versions about as well as kids of 5 to 7, but they failed some harder versions. It's a comparison on specific skills, not overall intelligence.

Do crows really remember faces?

Yes. University of Washington research showed wild crows scolded a person wearing a mask linked to being trapped, years later, and other crows learned to do the same.

Are ravens smarter than crows?

They're close. Ravens have shown impressive future planning, while New Caledonian crows are the top tool makers. Both are among the smartest birds in the world.

What is the smartest bird?

Most rankings put crows and ravens at the top, with African grey parrots and magpies close behind. Which one "wins" depends on whether you value tool use, planning, talking or self-recognition.