(very OT)
Corvids are very intelligent in general, and New Caledonian Crows especially so. They create various complex tools suited to different purposes. One thing biologists have noticed among many corvids and esp. New Caledonian Crows is their ability to teach their young new abilities and pass on learning. So while they may have had these abilities for a long time, their ability to learn over time would give them an edge for evolving cognitively. Also many New Caledonian Crow food sources require tool use to gather so there’s selective pressure. Their beak’s evolved to facilitate better tool use. They also have the advantage a long adolescence during which to learn and few predators.
I mostly mention this because I think they’re amazing corvids, though. Whether they could evolve to reach the point of creating electronics doesn’t seem likely to me, though evolution can pull off some amazing feats over millions of years with the right selective pressures.
