>>13269602I have a theory that birds can remember not only faces, but other miscellaneous details as well, such as car makes, models, and colors for example.
When we drive down the street in our Black 2018 Ford Fusions and nearly hit a pigeon who was pecking at a cigarette butt on the ground, for us, it was a regular Tuesday. For them, it was an attempt on their life. Because of this, they purposely shit on our vehicles as a form of spite or defiance (yes, I believe pigeons, not just crows, are intelligent enough to hold grudges).
Furthermore, pigeons are very social creatures and engage in risky behavior as a show of confidence to attract mates; and there's no bigger show of confidence when you're trying to impress that female dove over there than shitting on one of those big metal beasts that keep trying to kill you when you're just trying to eat some crumbs.
I think after a long, long, LONG period of time in which they've acclimated to the urban environment, birds simply learned "street smarts".