THE BACKYARD — One of the smartest kids in my neighborhood once told me that magpies are the smartest animals on earth. So, I of course believed him. Later in life, I learned that magpies might not be the smartest, but they're definitely in the elite club of brainiac animals.
Magpies have a high level of self-awareness and problem-solving skills. They use tools and can recognize faces. They understand their own existence.
Oh, yeah, they can also make horse sounds that seem almost better than an actual horse's. Don't believe me? Watch this little video:
Turns out that not only are magpies smarter than nearly all other animals, they also can mimic their sounds just for good measure. Examples from the animal kingdom include dogs barking, cats meowing and horses whinnying. Magpies also imitate human speech and mechanical sounds such as wind chimes or police sirens.
According to the video's caption, the person who uploaded the footage was watching television when they heard a "full-on neighhh" by their back door. They looked out the windows but didn't see any horses invading their backyard. But again and again, they heard the same horse sounds.
After placing a trail camera in the back, they finally solved the mystery. No horses to be seen. Just a super smart magpie showing off its vocalization skills.
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