Which crow species is known for bending wire into hooks to retrieve food in experiments?

The New Caledonian crow is the crow species famous for bending wire into hooks to retrieve food in laboratory experiments. The best-known demonstration involved a crow named Betty, which shaped a straight piece of wire into a hook and used it to pull up a food container.

In the 2002 experiments, Betty initially tried to use the wire as provided. She then bent it against the side of the enclosure, creating a hook that could reach the food. In ten successful retrievals, she bent the wire into a hook nine times. Another crow, Abel, retrieved the food once without bending the wire.

New Caledonian crows also manufacture tools in the wild. They trim twigs, pandanus leaves, and other plant materials to extract grubs from holes in logs. Some tools naturally contain barbs or hooks, while others are deliberately shaped.

The famous experiment did not show that every crow routinely works with metal wire in nature. It showed remarkable flexibility: a species adapted a tool-making ability to an unfamiliar material and an artificial problem. That is why the New Caledonian crow is a classic example in animal-intelligence research.