THE crow family (corvids) rouse intense passion – they are persecuted, revered and studied at the highest level.

Their adaptability, fascinating lifestyles, cultural importance, high intelligence and stunning appearance make these some of the best birds to look out for.

Thanks to the sheer size of them, compared to say finches and sparrows, and their noisy and extroverted behaviour, rooks, carrion crows and magpies are some of birds that you are almost guarantied to come across when walking or travelling in the Worcestershire countryside.

Crows are curious creatures and they are so fascinated by shiny objects that they are known to fly off with bits of glass, jewellery and keys.

They are also great mimics and can imitate a number of sounds, including whistles, cats, machines and human voices.

These birds share several characteristics of higher intelligence with humans, including tool use and sophisticated social behaviour.

Researchers at the University of Oxford discovered recently that crows living in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia were able to make their own tools, such as bending twigs and wires into hooks to get their dinners out of narrow containers!

If a prize could be given to one of the crow family for being the most impressive, I would probably give it to the raven.

As the biggest member of the crow family in the UK, the raven is a buzzard- sized black bird with a chunky, powerful bill, a four feet wingspan and a diamond-shaped tail in flight.

They perform elaborate aerial displays that include rolls, tumbles and dives. Their voice is an unforgettable low-pitched croaking or “kronk” – just like an old car horn.

Mythology surrounds the raven almost more than any other bird, and they are considered both good and bad omens in different parts of the world.

It’s no coincidence that it was ravens, not robins, that the Nordic god Odin chose as his two helpers.

It was believed that the two ravens, Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory) would fly all over the world each day and return to Odin’s shoulder each night to tell him everything they had heard and seen.

Until just a few years ago, the only place you might see a raven would be at the Tower of London, in the mountains of Wales and remote areas of Cumbria.

The bird was almost wiped out by gamekeepers and farmers who thought they killed livestock.

The population is slowly recovering and the RSPB estimates there are now 12,900 breeding pairs of ravens across the UK.

If you care about nature and wildlife, please join us by logging onto rspb.org.uk/join or by calling 01216166850.