Corvids (or birds that make up the family Corvus, or crows) are the most highly evolved birds, socially and intellectually. Members of this family have colonized almost every corner of the globe, short of Antarctica.
"If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be clever enough to be crows."
- Rev. Henry Ward Beecher
It appears that all crows have evolved from jays,
and it seems many species have arisen from the
European Jay. It is interesting to note how the American Blue Jay shares many characteristics of its european counterpart such as tail "barring".
The Asian magpies appear to show strong similarities to the jays, while the Common Magpie, Pica Pica, appears to be an intermediate between the jays and true crows, corvus.
