Cambridge corvid lab closure forces clever birds to find new homes

A seminal research lab that has revolutionised our understanding of the minds of rooks and jays is set to be closed down as funding dries up

By Alison George

Behind a thatched pub in the village of Madingley near Cambridge, UK, is a set of aviaries that is home to 25 jays and seven rooks.

For Nicola Clayton, who set up the facility 22 years ago, these birds offer a unique window into the minds of other creatures. But not, perhaps, for much longer.

Clayton’s Comparative Cognition Lab – or, as she dubs it, the corvid palace – is set to close in July due to a depressing …