Although the brains of birds are used as an insult in public, species such as parrots and crows have managed to become famous for their intelligence. So why don’t all birds have an intelligence close to these species? This question has been answered by a new study. Scientists explained that the intelligence of birds depends on both the number of neurons and the parts of the brain where these neurons are found in high numbers.
In the new study, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, scientists estimated the number of neurons in the forebrain of 111 bird species. He then compared these numbers to the 4,400 ‘innovative’ ways birds use for food or bait. The result showed that birds with more neurons in the forebrain used more innovative ways.
If there are more neurons in the forebrain, the number of neurons in other parts decreases:
On the other hand, birds with more neurons in the gray matter forebrain had fewer neurons in other parts of their brains. Scientists stated that the large number of neurons in a large part of the forebrain also makes the brain larger. It was shared that all the findings obtained show that the intelligence of the birds depends on the ‘disproportionate distribution of neurons to cognitive tasks’.
In addition, when the development of all bird species was compared, it was seen that slower growing birds had more neurons in the forebrain. This showed that bird intelligence may require an extra stage of brain development. The fact that species such as crows and parrots, which are known for their intelligence, stayed longer in the nest was also a confirmation of this.
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