Object permanence edit
It has been shown that macaws, carrion crows, and chickens fully understand the idea of object permanence at a young age. [65][66] Macaws will even refute the “A-not-B error”. When presented with an object, particularly one whose function they are acquainted with, they will rationally consider potential locations for it. One test for this involved showing a macaw an object, hiding it behind the trainer’s back, and placing it in a container the bird was not familiar with. That container and another container were among the items arranged on a table without the macaw observing. The macaw showed that it knew where to look for the item and could do so by first searching the target container, then the other, and finally going back to open the correct container. [67].
Brain anatomy editFurther information:
Scientists claimed at the start of the 20th century that birds’ basal ganglia were hyperdeveloped and had small, mammalian-like telencephalon structures. [46] Modern studies have refuted this view. [47] In birds, the basal ganglia make up a very tiny portion of the brain. Birds’ intelligence appears to reside in a different area of the brain, the medio-rostral neostriatum/hyperstriatum ventrale (also see nidopallium). In fact, the brain-to-body size ratio of higher primates is similar in psittacines (parrots) and corvines (birds of the crow family). [48] For a higher unit mass per volume, birds can also have twice the neuron packing density of primate brains, or in some cases comparable to the total number of neurons in much larger mammal brains. It has also been proposed that the avian pallium serves as an analogous neural foundation for consciousness [49][50][51]. [52][53].
Research conducted on captive birds has provided information about the smartest birds. Although parrots are unique in that they can mimic human speech, research on grey parrots has revealed that some of them can also form simple sentences and link words to their meanings (see Alex). The corvid family, which includes crows, ravens, and jays, and parrots, is thought to be the smartest group of birds. These species typically have the biggest high vocal centers, according to research Dr. Harvey J. Karten, a neuroscientist at UCSD who has researched bird physiology, has found similarities between human and avian brain anatomy in their lower regions. [citation needed].
Studies edit
Bird intelligence has been studied through several attributes and abilities. Numerous studies have focused on birds kept in captivity, including pigeons, domestic fowl, and quail. But unlike the apes, it has been noted that there have been few field studies. It has been demonstrated that corvids, or family of crow birds, and parrots, or species of parrot, live in social groups, have lengthy developmental stages, and have large forebrains. These traits have all been linked to the possibility of higher cognitive capacities. [1].
Counting has traditionally been considered an ability that shows intelligence. According to 1960s anecdotal evidence, crows are thought to be able to count to three. However, caution must be exercised by researchers to make sure that birds are not just displaying the ability to subitize, or count a small number of items quickly. Studies have indicated that crows might actually possess true numerical ability [3][4]. It’s been demonstrated that parrots can count to seventeen. [6][7].
Chinese fishermen used cormorants, which were found to be able to count to seventeen, and they were rewarded with fish every eighth. E. H. Hoh wrote in Natural History magazine:
A lot of birds can also sense variations in the quantity of eggs in their nest and offspring. It’s common knowledge that parasitic cuckoos remove one of the host eggs before laying their own.
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