Which crow species is famous for making hooked tools from twigs?

The New Caledonian crow is famous for making hooked tools from twigs.

Native to New Caledonia, Corvus moneduloides uses plant material to reach insects and larvae hidden in cracks and holes. It may select a forked twig, remove unwanted parts, and shape the remaining section into a hook. The crow then inserts the tool into a crevice; a grub may bite the tool, allowing the bird to pull its prey out.

This is more than simple tool use: the bird manufactures tools for a particular job. New Caledonian crows also make tools from pandanus leaves and have shown sophisticated behaviors such as using one tool to obtain another. In laboratory experiments, the crow Betty famously bent wire into a hook to retrieve food.

A common mix-up is with the Galápagos woodpecker finch, another tool-using bird. The finch typically uses cactus spines or twigs to probe for prey, while the New Caledonian crow is especially noted for deliberately crafting hooked tools. The species is also a corvid, related to crows and ravens, but its specialized tool-making reputation is unusually strong.