Joe Robinette, age 11, of Des Moines, Iowa, for his question:

What is a Jackdaw?

A contest for the Sassiest American Bird would no doubt be won by our brassy bluejay    year after year. But in the world wide contest, he would have to move over. The honors belong to the European jackdaw who is, without a doubt, the Sassiest Bird in the World. He also may fly off with the world's smartest bird title    and with any pretty object that catches his bright, beady eye.

The European jackdaw is a member of the crow family, Corvidae. You might mistake him for a smallish crow, attired in shiny black. We know that our crows are very smart birds, full of tricks and very fond of mischief. The jackdaw is an even more remarkable character    and, of all things, he devotes much of his brilliant brain to the practice of thievery. From the human point of view, he often rates as the most wanted crook of the bird world.

For reasons known only to himself, he is very fond of people and often goes to a lot of trouble to get himself adopted as a family pet. He captures his audience by performing amusing tricks and soon learns to imitate human words in his raspy voice. His bright eye is interested in every human happening and the sassy character never misses a chance to talk back. He gives rasping orders to the family dog and bosses around the family cat. When put into a cage, he puts on such a melancholy act that nobody has the heart to keep him there.

Sooner or later, he schemes to get the freedom of the house, plus freedom to make hasty retreats through open windows and doors. The clever bird seems able to make long range plans of this sort    usually for purposes of crime. It so happens that he has a secret passion for possessions of his very own    preferably small, bright objects such as stolen jewels. And he is a born boarder. When a jackdaw gets the freedom of the house, his criminal tendencies lead to ail sorts of disturbing family situations. He hops around the kitchen, chatting cheerfully to distract the cook's attention while he watches where the bright shiny spoons are kept. He perches affectionately on a girl's shoulder    actually watching to see where she leaves her jewelry. lie notices where grandma puts her reading glasses, where junior keeps the tacks in his hobby kit. This fascinating data 3s filed away until the right moment – which arrives when some bright iasure is left unguarded. Then 'ie feathery thief grabs his loot and makes his bet away through an open window.

Somewhere outdoors he has a secret hideaway, a shaggy nest of twigs in an unlikely place such as a lofty steeple. There he stores the loot of a lifetime. Often the mischievous culprit watches from his perch while the police search for bunglers below. There are many old tales of innocent people blamed for crimes that actually were committed by charming jackdaw rascals.