Watch This Raven Paint a Work of Art at the National Zoo [VIDEO]

Her name is Iris, and she's quite the accomplished artist. She's also a raven at the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Iris lives in the American Trail exhibit at the zoo, and biologist Rebecca Sturniolo has trained Iris to create works of art with a non-toxic, water-based paint, as you can see in the video above provided by the Smithsonian.

It's part of an enrichment program to keep animals both physically and mentally active, Sturniolo said on the Smithonian's website.

"On American Trail, we try to ensure that all of our animals are challenged to use their natural abilities in exciting ways by learning new behaviors," Sturniolo said. "Sometimes those behaviors directly relate to their health care, such as learning how to voluntarily sit for an injection or learning how to stay still on a scale. Many of the Zoo's animals paint for enrichment because it stimulates their visual, tactile, and olfactory senses. Apart from the fun of learning something new, it helps to reinforce the trusting relationship Iris and I have. That way, if we need to train a medical behavior that is a little uncomfortable (such as a needle stick), she is much more willing to participate in her own care, and the experience is less stressful for all involved."

Ravens are known to be very intelligent creatures, which is why it is so important to keep their minds stimulated.

It took a couple of months for Sturniolo to train Iris to paint. At first, she would drop the paint brush instead of putting it in Sturniolo's hand. Now, Iris takes the paintbrush, paints, and then gives the brush back.

"Ravens are notoriously neophobic, meaning that they can be wary or afraid of new things," Sturniolo said. "I had to give Iris time to get used to being near a canvas, paintbrush and paint. This took a lot of time and I let Iris decide how quickly she wanted to progress."