Buzz
Not only smarter than their 'cousins', these bird species also possess traits usually seen in humans.
If you've ever witnessed a bird attempting to steal your food, or a crow rummaging through garbage for leftovers, you might recognize their knack for learning new ways to find sustenance. This is a clear indication of their remarkable intelligence.
However, not all bird species exhibit such ingenuity. Scientists have long pondered why certain bird species are more intelligent and inventive than others. They not only invent new feeding methods but also craft tools, and can even recognize paintings by Monet and Picasso. Could brain diversity be the sole answer to this phenomenon?
Intelligent bird species have a higher concentration of nerve cells in their brains.
Researchers have employed a novel technique to estimate the number of nerve cells, or neurons, concentrated in a part of the bird's brain called the pallium. The pallium in birds can be likened to the cerebral cortex of humans or mammals, which is responsible for memory, learning, reasoning, and problem-solving.
Although the pallium of birds lacks layers similar to those of mammals, they are organized in a way that leads to equivalent cognitive abilities between birds and mammals.
When the research team at McGill University, Canada, studied 111 bird species and collected data from over 4000 different feeding methods, they found that bird species with high concentrations of neurons in the pallium are the most innovative.
Nesting duration is a determining factor.
Typically, bird species leave the nest after about 2-6 weeks, although some prey birds may stay in the nest for 8-10 weeks. Some bird species, however, are more independent, requiring only a few days or hours to forage with their mother. These are known as precocial birds, examples include ducks, quails, or chickens. However, the longer a bird stays in the nest, the smarter it tends to be.
Honorary Professor Louis Lefebvre of McGill University has spent over 20 years documenting new feeding behaviors and habits of birds. He believes that the time young birds spend in the nest also contributes to shaping their intelligence later on.
Crows and parrots are highly intelligent bird species, partly due to their nesting duration. Young parrots in the Amazon are pampered by their parents for up to 8 weeks before leaving the nest. Crows gain the ability to fly in just 2-3 weeks, but sometimes the mother bird continues to nurture and feed the chicks for up to 2 more months.
That's why when crows decide to become independent, their bodies have nearly reached adult size. Spending more time in the nest allows the brain to develop and accumulate neurons in the pallial region.
How cognitively capable are birds?
Andreas Nieder, a neurophysiologist at the University of Tübingen, observed the brains of meat-eating crows (corvus corrone) as they responded to different signals. Dubbed as 'feathered apes' due to their exceptional intelligence compared to their relatives, during behavior experiments, Andreas also discovered that the brain of these birds reacts consciously similar to primates.
In addition to utilizing available tools for food retrieval or recognizing human faces, crows also demonstrate future event planning similar to humans. This is a trait unique to them. In a study published in National Geographic, if a crow discovers a tool that aids in food retrieval, they will hide it. When the food box reappears in subsequent trials, crows retrieve their 'treasure' for use.
Alternatively, we can examine a less 'famous' bird, the jay, also a member of the Corvidae family. Recently, Cambridge University published a study revealing the jay's self-restraint capability rivaling that of humans.
Specifically, in the experiment, jays were offered various food items, but to access preferred items (worms), they had to forgo less desirable ones (bread) and wait longer. Upon realizing the promise of a greater reward with patience, these birds accepted the challenge.
Future experiments may help determine how the intelligence of birds will evolve, but fundamentally, these findings suggest that humans may not be as unique as we think. Who knows, in the future, crows or parrots might be the dominant species over humans?
Source: Sciencedaily, National Geographic, Science
