We were talking about brains and the size of brains in various species.
John mentioned that birds and their brains have got really bad press because in fact birds are very clever.
Some birds that stand out are:
- Parrots
- Crows
- Ravens
- Jays
- Tui
- Pigeon
Some of the clever things bird can do include learning, imitating, forming relationships, recogising faces
More Info From Me
The photo I’ve posted is of our own native kea – a New Zealand alpine parrot – which is a very clever bird. Some avian scientists think that a kea has the intelligence of a 4 year old human. They can solve problems like unscrewing nuts – including working together to do this – forage well for food and play jokes on humans.
Other info I’ve dug up is that avian experts are working very hard to show how sophisticated birds are. Indeed there is strong interest across neuroscience in using birds as models for learning and development, and migratory and social behaviour.
John's Little Info Gems 