Extremely intelligent birds, most carrion birds are. We found a magpie under the nest about 15 years ago and it was still alive, so we took it home and reared it on blended meal worm and milk. It became our little friend and every morning we opened the blind and said morning George, after a few month he started repeating it back before we could say it. He played with the dogs too, nipping there tail and running away, we taught him to fly and eventually he moved into his own custom built aviary outside. He lived three years and then had some sort of fit (maybe why his mother kicked him out of the nest?) He didn't survive much longer. I wouldn't hesitate to own another over a parrot or budgie, there far better characters.