We all have a friend who brags about how their child (or grandchild) is “really smart.” Now, you can tell them with a smile that their kid is a real “bird brain” and mean it as a compliment.

Tales of clever birds have been around ever since humans began telling stories, but recent research has found that crows are better at problem solving that the average seven to 10-year-old child. Crows are able to compete eight-step puzzles to retrieve food, can recognize human faces and can even make and use tools. What’s more, crows are known to engage in play, remember and communicate information, and pass information and even cultural traits to their offspring.

Crows aren’t the only smart birds out there, and avian intelligence goes beyond problem solving: carrier pigeons have innate GPS and the famous Cher Ami saved the lives of an American 77th Infantry Division battalion during World War I; golden winged warblers anticipate deadly impending storms; hummingbirds migrate long distances and remember the location of nectar sources; and so on. Many of these interesting stories, and more, are shared and elaborated upon in “The Genius of Birds,” by Jennifer Ackerman. A national bestseller, “The Genius of Birds” has been published in 20 languages, has been a finalist for several awards.

Ackerman’s passion for birds is bound up with Jamestown’s own Roger Tory Peterson. As an eight-year-old girl in 1967, Ackerman received a Peterson Field Guide to birds as a gift from her father. Ackerman and her father spent hours birdwatching together on the C&O Canal in Washington, D.C., and on the ride home in the car they would sift through their beloved Peterson field guide to identify what they had seen. Together, they created an edition with thumb-tabs for every avian family which sparked a lifelong interest in and love for birds.

During Roger Tory Peterson’s Wild America Nature Festival at Panama Rocks on July 28-29, guests can join Ackerman as she explores the brilliance of birds and delves into the mysteries of the avian brain in an illustrated presentation of The Genius of Birds. Participants will learn how birds make and use their own tools, teach one another new skills, count, navigate, exercise astonishing feats of memory, create works of art, communicate in ways that resemble language, and even pass along cultural traditions. Guests to the Wild America Nature Festival will also have the opportunity to meet live birds of prey with wildlife rehabilitation specialists from Wild Spirit Education and falconer Jonathan Clarkson with American Hawkeye.

Joining Ackerman as keynote speakers at the festival are Lee Peterson, Roger Tory Peterson’s son and author of the Peterson Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants, and famous animal expert Jeff Musial with his animals. More than 50 artists will participate in the festival’s Nature Art & Craft Show, six food vendors will serve delicious food in the Local Food Cook-Off and the festival will offer a number of activities, classes and workshops. For more information, visit www.WildAmericaFest.com.