Forget Dolly the sheep; the new darling of the scientific set is Betty the crow. Since the publication in Science (9 August) of her tool-making exploits, Betty has hit the headlines in a big way.

We couldn't resist joining the stream of puns about 'featherbrains' and 'birdbrains', but in fact, Betty — a New Caledonian crow (Corvus moneduloides) who has been living in an Oxford University aviary for two years — has been showing tool-making skills that put many of our closer primate relatives to shame.

Tool use in an animal is nothing new. Both monkeys and birds have been documented as using natural tools — for example, a finch in the Galapagos Islands uses cactus spines to spear insects. But Betty takes it one step further.

The Oxford zoologists, lead by Alex Kacelnik, were testing whether Betty and her mate, Abel, could use a wire hook to remove a small bucket of food from a tube. But when Abel flew away with the hook, they were amazed to see Betty making herself a replacement hook by bending a straight piece of wire.

According to Kacelnik, “Although many animals use tools, purposeful modification of objects to solve new problems, without training or prior experience, is virtually unknown” (Independent, UK, 9 August). Kacelnik also reflects on the behaviour of Abel, who does not make hooks but rather bullies Betty into sharing the fruits of her labour. “It's a matter of judgement as to which is the cleverer strategy”, he says.