What does corvid mean?
A corvid is any bird belonging to the family Corvidae, a group that includes crows, ravens, jays, magpies, rooks, jackdaws, and nutcrackers. The word functions as a collective label for this remarkably successful family of passerine birds, which are found across most of the world and are distinguished by their large brains relative to body size. Corvids are famous in scientific literature for their intelligence: they use tools, cache food with sophisticated memory, recognize individual human faces, and in some cases appear to reason causally. As a result, the term has moved beyond technical ornithology into popular science writing, where calling a bird a corvid often signals that it belongs to an elite club of clever animals. Derived from the Latin corvus, meaning raven, the word is closely related to the adjective corvine. For anyone interested in bird behaviour or animal cognition, corvid is an indispensable term.
nounA bird of the family Corvidae, which includes crows, ravens, jays, magpies, rooks, and related species. In extended use, the term often carries connotations of notable intelligence, since corvids are among the most cognitively sophisticated of all birds.
- A bird belonging to the family Corvidae, comprising crows, ravens, jays, magpies, and related species.
- By extension, such a bird regarded as a type of intelligence, cunning, or adaptability in animal-behaviour discussion.
"The magpie, like all members of the corvid family, showed a remarkable ability to solve the puzzle box."
"Ravens, jays, and magpies are all corvids, united by their sharp minds and sociable natures."
"Researchers studying animal cognition have found that the corvid rivals the great ape on certain problem-solving tasks."
Regular plural; used when referring to multiple birds of the family or to corvids as a group.
"Scientists have documented tool use in corvids across several continents."
Corvids can remember human faces for years — and hold grudges against the people who wronged them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of corvid
The English word corvid derives from the Latin corvus, meaning 'raven', combined with the suffix -id used in zoological taxonomy to denote a member of a family. The same Latin root gives us the adjective corvine, meaning 'relating to or resembling crows and ravens'. The family name Corvidae was formed on the same stem, and even the word cormorant ultimately traces back through medieval Latin corvus marinus, or 'sea-raven'. The taxonomic sense entered English in the nineteenth century as naturalists formalized biological classification.
Related word forms
How corvid is actually used
Corvid is primarily a technical term used in ornithology, zoology, and science writing about animal intelligence, though it appears increasingly in popular science journalism. It is neutral in register but tends to carry positive connotations of cleverness rather than the ominous associations of 'crow' or 'raven' alone.
Easily confused with corvid
A corvette is a small warship (or a sports car model), whereas a corvid is a bird of the crow family; the words merely resemble each other in spelling.
Coveted means strongly desired or envied, while corvid refers to a member of the crow family of birds.