Crow brains are, in relation to the size of their body, on par with primates. While they're definitely not as intelligent as humans are, because they lack certain parts of the brain that we have, they are amazingly intelligent creatures. I think they are easily the smartest bird in the world and among the smartest animals everywhere. Some cognitive psychologists will insist that a crow is about as intelligent as a 6 or 7 year old child.
I've personally always loved crows. They are a secondary spirit animal for me, right after foxes. I absolutely love hearing them caw. We should replace our government with a council of crows. They probably won't do anything significant but, come on! Council of Crows. What is cooler than that?
The part of the crow brain that is responsible for their high levels of cognition is called the nidopallium caudolaterale. Read about it and you'll have a weird piece of trivia to tell at a Halloween party. In birds, it is like our frontal lobe, where many higher functions take place.