Highlights•Birds can show cultural behaviour across multiple behavioural
contexts.•Evolutionary theory is a useful tool to examine cultural change over time.•I review …

New Caledonian (NC) crows Corvus moneduloides are the most prolific avian tool users. In
the wild, they use at least three distinct tool types to extract invertebrate prey from deadwood …

Cumulative technological culture (CTC) refers to the increase in the efficiency and
complexity of tools and techniques in human populations over generations. A fascinating …

The last several decades of research on avian cognition have revealed surprising parallels
between the abilities of birds—most notably corvids—and great apes. Parrots, albeit far less …

Only a handful of bird species are known to use foraging tools in the wild. Amongst them, the
New Caledonian crow (Corvus moneduloides) stands out with its sophisticated tool-making …

The use of different tools to achieve a single goal is considered unique to human and
primate technology. To unravel the origins of such complex behaviors, it is crucial to …

Tool use in nonhuman apes can help identify the conditions that drove the extraordinary
expansion of hominin technology. Chimpanzees and bonobos are our closest living …

The playful (ie, not overtly functional) combination of objects is considered a potential
ontogenetic and phylogenetic precursor of technical problem solving abilities, as it may lead …

Humans' daily life is dominated by, and depends on, the use of tools. Because we are so
skilled at using tools, and attribute a pivotal role in human evolution to tool use, the …

Highlights•Tests of 'Aesop's fable'present subjects with functional vs nonfunctional
choices.•Results may suggest that some corvids understand properties of water …