Dinosaurs

[ysabetwordsmith]

Bird brain from the age of dinosaurs reveals roots of avian intelligence

A 'one of a kind' fossil discovery could transform our understanding of how the unique brains and intelligence of modern birds evolved, one of the most enduring mysteries of vertebrate evolution.


Bird brains are surprisingly complex, and pack more of a punch for their size, which leads mammalian scientists to underestimate avian intelligence. Anyone who has tried to keep birds from peeling the foil off milk bottles, or keep big greedy birds from eating all the food meant for smaller songbirds, knows how smart the little bastards are. I've seen sparrows figure out how to snatch a bite of suet or thistle from an upside-down feeder!

Comments

[impala_chick]

That was a neat article, thanks for sharing!

You're welcome!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I love dinosaurs, I love birds (who are also dinosaurs), and I'm particularly fascinated by the evolution of feathers and flight, and by how clever birds are with their small brains.

[ribirdnerd]

Oh yeah birds are intelligent!

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

For a long time, scientists ignored birds because they were smaller than mammals and believed to be less complex intellectually. But in recent years, people have made more interesting discoveries about just how smart birds can be.

*chuckle* New Zealand already knew, they've seen keas break down a car as fast as a ghetto gang.