Oregon residents have probably witnessed the scene without realizing they were watching one of the most impressive examples of animal problem solving in North America.
A crow sits quietly on a utility wire above an intersection in Portland, Eugene, or Salem with a walnut held firmly in its beak. After waiting for the right moment, the bird releases the nut onto the pavement below and watches as vehicles roll past. A few minutes later, once traffic slows or a light changes, the crow glides down to collect pieces of the freshly cracked kernel.
From a distance, the behavior can look accidental…