Bird Brains: Debunking the Myths

The last common ancestor of birds and mammals existed over 300 million years ago, so it’s not surprising that our brains look a little different. Unfortunately, some early scientific blunders led to the widespread notion that birds aren’t smart, but contrary to popular belief, the unique features and small size of the avian brain don’t make it any less capable than those of mammals.

In this guide, we’ll look at the often underestimated and misunderstood avian brain through a new lens. Join us as we unpack some fascinating facts about the form and function of the avian brain!

Debunking the Myths

Historical Perspectives

Archived newspaper clippings reveal that the term ‘bird-brain’ has been used since at least the 1880’s, so this is one insult that’s been around for some time! But why are birds considered intellectually challenged?

To the casual observer, the average songbird shows little sign of intelligence while going about its business, and this myth was perpetuated by bad science. Scientists studying bird brains concluded that they have no neocortex, the large, wavy part of the brain we associate with higher intelligence.

We now know that parts of the avian telencephalon perform similar functions to the human neocortex, even if they don’t look quite the same. Unfortunately, it seems our feathered friends had been underestimated!

Size vs. Function

True enough, birds have tiny brains relative to our own, but there’s more to brain power than just size. Birds are physically smaller than humans and other intelligent primates, so naturally, their brains are smaller, too. Additionally, birds have had to evolve many weight-saving adaptations as tradeoffs for their ability to fly.

So, how can birds compare with mammals if their brains are so much smaller?

Crucially, the avian brain has a much higher neuron density per volume than the mammalian brain, so they’re actually much more powerful relative to size. This allows a bird with a walnut-sized brain to have similar intelligence to an ape!

Birds have tiny brains relative to our own, but there’s more to brain power than just size. Eurasian Magpie

Showcases of Avian Intelligence

Problem-Solving Prowess

Far from mindless hopping and flying machines, birds have a great capacity for intelligence. Mental ability is not equal among all families, however, and the Parrot and Crow families are clear winners in that respect.

These birds have demonstrated advanced problem-solving abilities in captivity, often requiring tool use and construction. Crows can even get to grips with concepts like gravity and water displacement to access treats.

Of course, scientists have not studied the brain power of all of the Earth’s roughly ten thousand bird species, so there may be many surprises still to discover. For example, recent attention on Caracaras, a group of unique South American Falcons, has highlighted remarkable intelligence usually not expected in a bird of prey.

Social Intelligence

Birds don’t limit their intelligence to working with food or inanimate objects. Like humans, some birds have learned to benefit from teamwork and cooperation.

Ravens are masters of cooperation that can work together to achieve a common goal. A fascinating study of captive specimens even demonstrated that the birds would avoid working with an individual who cheated them in the past.

Sometimes, birds need to work against each other, and some species even resort to sneaky tactics to thwart the competition. Ravens use deception when hiding food to prevent theft from others, while Drongo birds in Africa mimic alarm calls to frighten other animals away and steal their food.

Emotional Complexity

Birds certainly exhibit various emotions, including fear, aggression, and frustration, but it’s difficult to determine exactly what they feel. Strange behaviors like Crow and Magpie ‘funerals’ have led many to believe that birds mourn, and interesting research on Great Tits found that grieving birds focused on building new and stronger bonds with other birds in their flock.

But what about more positive emotions like joy? Intelligent birds like Crows certainly appear to play for the purpose of fun, although it’s never wise to attribute human-like emotions to other animals at face value.

Recent attention on Caracaras, a group of unique South American Falcons, has highlighted remarkable intelligence usually not expected in a bird of prey. Southern Caracara

Bird Brain Anatomy Revisited

Unique Structural Features

Birds may not have a neocortex like ours, but their forebrains contain a comparable region called the pallium, which is responsible for cognitive functioning. The pallium also includes the hippocampus, which is the brain structure responsible for memory.

A well-developed optical lobe is another important feature of the avian brain. This lobe, located in the midbrain, processes visual and auditory information retrieved by the eyes and ears.

Neurological Basis of Behavior

The transmission of information and resulting action relies on pathways between neurons in different parts of the brain. For example, birds that exhibit vocal learning (e.g., songbirds) must combine imitation, memory, hearing, and their own voice to produce the songs and calls of their species. These species have posterior and anterior pathways linking various parts of the brain with their syrinx (voice box).

Processing visual information and using imagination requires completely different pathways. A neural pathway between the telencephalon and the cerebellum may help birds visualize scenes and predict outcomes through mental action. Actual vision relies on the tectofugal pathway for identifying objects and the thalamofugal pathway for determining their location.

Comparative Cognition

Birds vs. Mammals

It’s common knowledge that mammals are the most intelligent animals, with humans occupying the top spot. However, you may be surprised to learn that smart birds like corvids and Parrots may be more intelligent than most mammals and even compare closely with apes and young human children!

Specialized Intelligence

Birds have evolved brains that support the needs of their lifestyle. These active creatures live fast and dangerous lives, requiring excellent senses, athletic abilities, and effective cognitive functioning for survival.

As sight and sound-orientated animals, avians rely on advanced and rapid assessment of visual and auditory data while foraging, looking out for predators, or navigating in flight. However, they need a way to store some of that information to learn and benefit from it in the future, so many species have impressive memory power.

Caching species like Chickadees and Jays are good examples of birds with excellent memory. Each summer, these resident songbirds hide hundreds or even thousands of seed stores in their territory, which takes a considerable amount of effort. Remembering the location of all that food is vital for their survival in the cold winter months.

Caching species like Chickadees and Jays are good examples of birds with excellent memory. California Scrub-Jay

Cultural and Artistic Representations

Birds in Myth and Legend

Birds have occupied various roles in myth and legends throughout history and across the Earth’s diverse cultures. Common themes include messengers from the afterlife, bringers of peace, harbingers of death, and symbols of wisdom. This eclectic mix of values highlights the variety of perceptions surrounding our feathered friends, both historically and in the modern world.

Influence on Art and Literature

From early cave paintings and Egyptian hieroglyphics to the poems of Emily Disckinson and John Keats, birds have featured prominently in art and literature.

Historically, they have filled mystical and metaphorical roles or inspired artists with their physical beauty. However, the relatively recent acceptance of birds as brainy creatures may well change the way writers and artists see and represent our feathered friends.

Implications and Future Directions

Impact on Conservation

For birds, humans can be their worst enemies or their saviors, and when it comes to conservation, a lot rides on the value we assign to any given species or ecosystem.

Debunking the myths around bird intelligence only highlights the incredible intrinsic value of birds and, hopefully, fosters even more care and concern around their future in a changing world.

Future Research Trends

There is still so much to learn about bird brains and intelligence! This important field of study has great potential to uncover further insights into our own brains and cognitive functioning as a whole.

Many historical and contemporary studies have centered around a few well-known species, like Pigeons, Zebra Finches, Parrots, and Corvids, and they often occur under laboratory conditions. Hopefully, novel techniques and continued research will shed light on the brains and cognitive abilities of other species as they interact with the natural world.

Summary

So, we’ve been all wrong about birds and their brains. It turns out these creatures are capable of some impressive cognitive abilities! If anything, mislabeling birds and their brains should teach us not to underappreciate the marvel of the birds and other life that shares our planet.

Ongoing scientific studies continue to highlight the remarkable intelligence of these fascinating and beautiful creatures, but you don’t need a laboratory or a microscope to appreciate the bird brain for yourself. Simply watching the careful, calculating, and often amusing antics of crows and other corvids is enough to confirm their intelligence.