GITNUX REPORT 2024

Bird Brains: Most Intelligent Birds Display Astonishing Problem-Solving Abilities

The Most Intelligent Bird: From Learning Words to Solving Puzzles, Explore Their Remarkable Abilities.

Author: Jannik Lindner

First published: 7/17/2024

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Parrots have a brain-to-body size ratio similar to great apes

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Crows can recognize human faces and hold grudges

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Pigeons can differentiate between paintings by Monet and Picasso

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Ravens can plan for the future

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African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of zero

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Kea parrots can understand probability

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Crows can solve analogical reasoning tasks

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Ravens can infer the presence of hidden food

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African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of same and different

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Jays can plan for future needs

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African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of object permanence

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Pigeons can learn abstract numerical rules

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African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of relative size

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Crows can understand water displacement

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African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of categories

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Crows can understand cause-and-effect relationships

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Macaws can learn to associate symbols with quantities

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Pigeons can categorize objects in photographs

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Ravens can plan for bartering events

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African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of absence

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Kea parrots can solve problems involving object permanence

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New Caledonian Crows can understand hidden causal agents

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African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of same/different across sensory modalities

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Crows can solve analogical reasoning tasks at the same level as great apes

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Macaws can understand the concept of 'none' or 'zero'

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Pigeons can learn to discriminate between benign and malignant tumors

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African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of relative size

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Jays can plan for future states of hunger

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New Caledonian Crows can understand weight transfer

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African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of probability

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Crows can solve problems involving abstract pattern recognition

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Macaws can understand the concept of object permanence at the same level as a 3-year-old human

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African Grey Parrots can learn up to 1,000 words

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Alex, an African Grey Parrot, could identify colors, shapes, and numbers

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Ravens can use gestures to communicate

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Pigeons can learn to recognize words

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Jays can remember the locations of up to 200 food caches

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Crows can remember human faces for years

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Jays can remember specific past events

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Jays can remember the 'what, where, and when' of specific events

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New Caledonian Crows can create and use tools

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Kea parrots can solve logical puzzles

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Macaws have the problem-solving skills of a 4-year-old human

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Cockatoos can pick locks

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Cockatoos can solve multi-step puzzles

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New Caledonian Crows can bend wire to create hooks

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Cockatoos can learn to make tools by observing others

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New Caledonian Crows can solve puzzles using causal reasoning

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Macaws can solve puzzles requiring sequential problem-solving

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Kea parrots can use tools in the wild

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Cockatoos can learn to open complex locks

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New Caledonian Crows can create tools of the appropriate size for a task

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Kea parrots can solve problems involving multiple steps

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Crows can create compound tools

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Cockatoos can solve puzzles involving sequential lock removal

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Kea parrots can solve problems involving tool use

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Kea parrots can solve problems involving sequential tool use

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Crows can solve problems involving meta-tool use

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Cockatoos can solve problems involving coordinated tool use

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Magpies can recognize themselves in mirrors

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Kea parrots can cooperate to solve tasks

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Ravens can engage in tactical deception

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Ravens can coordinate with conspecifics to solve problems

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Kea parrots can solve problems involving collaborative tool use

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Summary

  • African Grey Parrots can learn up to 1,000 words
  • Crows can recognize human faces and hold grudges
  • New Caledonian Crows can create and use tools
  • Kea parrots can solve logical puzzles
  • Pigeons can differentiate between paintings by Monet and Picasso
  • Ravens can plan for the future
  • Macaws have the problem-solving skills of a 4-year-old human
  • Cockatoos can pick locks
  • Magpies can recognize themselves in mirrors
  • Alex, an African Grey Parrot, could identify colors, shapes, and numbers
  • Jays can remember the locations of up to 200 food caches
  • Cockatoos can solve multi-step puzzles
  • Ravens can use gestures to communicate
  • Parrots have a brain-to-body size ratio similar to great apes
  • New Caledonian Crows can bend wire to create hooks

Step right up and prepare to be amazed by the avian geniuses of the world! From African Grey Parrots who can rival your vocabulary skills to Crows who hold grudges like a pro wrestler, the intelligence of our feathered friends knows no bounds. Did you know that Kea parrots can outsmart you in logic puzzles, while Cockatoos are basically the Houdinis of the bird kingdom with their lock-picking skills? And if you thought only humans can plan for the future, think again because Ravens are already a step ahead. So, grab your popcorn and get ready to be schooled by the brainy birds who are about to make you question your own smarts!

Brain Structure

  • Parrots have a brain-to-body size ratio similar to great apes

Interpretation

Move aside apes, it seems the feathered geniuses of the avian world are giving you a run for your money! With brain-to-body size ratios comparable to great apes, parrots are proving that intelligence knows no bounds. Who needs opposable thumbs when you can mimic human speech and problem solve like a pro? It's time to bow down to our colorful, chatty overlords in the trees, for it seems the future may be for the birds after all.

Cognitive Abilities

  • Crows can recognize human faces and hold grudges
  • Pigeons can differentiate between paintings by Monet and Picasso
  • Ravens can plan for the future
  • African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of zero
  • Kea parrots can understand probability
  • Crows can solve analogical reasoning tasks
  • Ravens can infer the presence of hidden food
  • African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of same and different
  • Jays can plan for future needs
  • African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of object permanence
  • Pigeons can learn abstract numerical rules
  • African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of relative size
  • Crows can understand water displacement
  • African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of categories
  • Crows can understand cause-and-effect relationships
  • Macaws can learn to associate symbols with quantities
  • Pigeons can categorize objects in photographs
  • Ravens can plan for bartering events
  • African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of absence
  • Kea parrots can solve problems involving object permanence
  • New Caledonian Crows can understand hidden causal agents
  • African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of same/different across sensory modalities
  • Crows can solve analogical reasoning tasks at the same level as great apes
  • Macaws can understand the concept of 'none' or 'zero'
  • Pigeons can learn to discriminate between benign and malignant tumors
  • African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of relative size
  • Jays can plan for future states of hunger
  • New Caledonian Crows can understand weight transfer
  • African Grey Parrots can understand the concept of probability
  • Crows can solve problems involving abstract pattern recognition
  • Macaws can understand the concept of object permanence at the same level as a 3-year-old human

Interpretation

Move over, humans! It seems the avian community is giving Mensa a run for its money with their impressive cognitive feats. From crows holding grudges like seasoned drama queens to pigeons playing art connoisseurs by distinguishing between Monet and Picasso, it's clear that our feathered friends have more brains than we give them credit for. With ravens bartering for hidden treats and African Grey Parrots grasping complex concepts like zero and relative size, it's a bird-brained world out there – and we're just living in it. Who needs a Mensa membership when you've got parrots solving probability problems and crows acing analogical reasoning? It's high time we start taking these winged geniuses seriously – after all, they might just outsmart us all in the end.

Language and Communication

  • African Grey Parrots can learn up to 1,000 words
  • Alex, an African Grey Parrot, could identify colors, shapes, and numbers
  • Ravens can use gestures to communicate
  • Pigeons can learn to recognize words

Interpretation

In a world where humans struggle to communicate effectively with each other, it seems the animal kingdom is surpassing us in linguistic and cognitive abilities. African Grey Parrots are giving Shakespeare a run for his money with their impressive vocabulary, while Alex the parrot is out here playing Picasso with colors, shapes, and numbers. Ravens have mastered the art of silent but expressive communication and pigeons are flipping through dictionaries in between poop breaks. Perhaps we should all take a humble lesson from our feathered friends and brush up on our vocabulary skills before they start writing their own version of the Oxford dictionary.

Memory and Learning

  • Jays can remember the locations of up to 200 food caches
  • Crows can remember human faces for years
  • Jays can remember specific past events
  • Jays can remember the 'what, where, and when' of specific events

Interpretation

In the cutthroat world of avian intelligence, jays and crows are the Mensa members of the bird kingdom with memory skills that put most humans to shame. Jays can rival a squirrel in their hoarding abilities, recalling the whereabouts of 200 hidden snacks, while crows are the ultimate stalkers, never forgetting a human face even after years. If the FBI ever needs a feathered informant for witness protection, these birds are definitely their go-to consultants. So next time you underestimate a bird brain, just remember that jays and crows are out there, plotting their next move with a detailed mental rolodex that would make Sherlock Holmes proud.

Problem-Solving Skills

  • New Caledonian Crows can create and use tools
  • Kea parrots can solve logical puzzles
  • Macaws have the problem-solving skills of a 4-year-old human
  • Cockatoos can pick locks
  • Cockatoos can solve multi-step puzzles
  • New Caledonian Crows can bend wire to create hooks
  • Cockatoos can learn to make tools by observing others
  • New Caledonian Crows can solve puzzles using causal reasoning
  • Macaws can solve puzzles requiring sequential problem-solving
  • Kea parrots can use tools in the wild
  • Cockatoos can learn to open complex locks
  • New Caledonian Crows can create tools of the appropriate size for a task
  • Kea parrots can solve problems involving multiple steps
  • Crows can create compound tools
  • Cockatoos can solve puzzles involving sequential lock removal
  • Kea parrots can solve problems involving tool use
  • Kea parrots can solve problems involving sequential tool use
  • Crows can solve problems involving meta-tool use
  • Cockatoos can solve problems involving coordinated tool use

Interpretation

Move over geniuses, the avian world is giving Mensa a run for its money! From New Caledonian Crows bending wire like expert artisans to Kea parrots outsmarting us in logical puzzles, it's clear that birds are not just winged wonders but also masterminds of problem-solving. Macaws matching the cognitive skills of a preschooler and Cockatoos showcasing their lock-picking prowess are just the tip of the iceberg. Who needs Sherlock Holmes when Cockatoos can crack complex locks with finesse? And let's not forget about Crows casually using causal reasoning and engaging in meta-tool use like it's just another day at the office. It's high time we start taking these feathered Einsteins seriously before they outwit us all!

Self-Awareness

  • Magpies can recognize themselves in mirrors

Interpretation

In the competitive world of avian intelligence, magpies are truly the social media influencers of the bird kingdom with their ability to look in the mirror and say, "Yes, that's me, looking fabulous as always." While some may argue that beauty is only feather deep, the magpie's self-recognition skills speak volumes about their cognitive abilities. So next time you catch a glimpse of a magpie admiring its own reflection, just know that it's not vanity – it's simply bird genius at work.

Social Intelligence

  • Kea parrots can cooperate to solve tasks
  • Ravens can engage in tactical deception
  • Ravens can coordinate with conspecifics to solve problems
  • Kea parrots can solve problems involving collaborative tool use

Interpretation

The avian world is truly flying high in the intelligence department, with Kea parrots and Ravens showcasing their impressive cognitive abilities. While Kea parrots are the savvy collaborators of the skies, showing off their knack for teamwork and tool use, Ravens strut their stuff with tactical deception and strategic problem-solving skills. These feathered geniuses remind us that brains and beaks can make a formidable combination in the quest for survival. Just when you thought bird-brained was an insult, these clever creatures prove that when it comes to intelligence, they are a force to be reckoned with.

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