Who are you calling Birdbrain?

Elaine Henley P.G. Dip CABC

Full Member Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC)

Animal Behaviour Training Council (ABTC) Registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist

Phone: 01294 833764

Website:www.dogbehaviour.org.uk

Facebook:www.facebook.com/animalbehaviourclinic

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/elainehenleyparrotexpert

All of us who share our homes with Parrots know them to be intelligent and emotional critters. However, until the late 1970s Scientists assumed that Parrots and corvids were less intelligent than great apes, due to Parrots having smaller brains and lacking an isocortex. Their brains are in fact 5-20g compared to that of apes at around 400g. The isocortex also known as the neocortex, is a part of the mammalian brain that is involved in higher-order brain functions, and this includes: sensory perception, motor commands, spatial reasoning, conscious thought, language, problem-solving and cognitive abilities.

The isocortex is the largest part of the cerebral cortex in the human brain, covering both cerebral hemispheres. It's made up of six layers, labelled I to VI from the outermost inwards. The isocortex is homogenetic, meaning all areas of the isocortex are made up of all six histological layers. The isocortex developed late in brain evolution, coinciding with the appearance of the first mammalian species. It is thought that the isocortex's emergence was driven by behavioural adaptations involving olfactory-driven, goal-directed and navigating behaviours.

Yet despite Parrots and corvids having smaller brains and lacking a neocortex, they have consistently performed well at cognition tasks, comparable to the great apes! You could say that they are “feathered apes”.

In the 1970s when Dr Irene Pepperberg started her studies on Parrot cognition, the notion that Parrots were as intelligent as the great apes was ridiculed by fellow scientists, with one reviewer asking her, “What are you smoking?” However, Dr Pepperberg’s published research as well as research from other scientists, has proven beyond doubt that Parrots and corvids have cognitive abilities that rival and, in some cases, surpass that of the great apes.

Parrots' brains are densely packed with neurons, similar to non-human primates, despite being the size of a walnut. Research suggests that some Parrots may be as cognitively capable as a five-year-old human.Parrots and corvids have demonstrated a variety of complex cognitive abilities, including:

• Abstract concepts: They can understand abstract concepts like "same" and "different".
• Numbers: They can recognise and count numbers up to six and can understand the concept of "none".
• Language: Parrots, and in particular grey Parrots, are vocal learners and can develop language, even acquiring and using English speech in ways that are similar to young children.
• Tool use: They can use tools to solve problems.
• Associative learning: They can learn through association.
• Adaptation: They can adapt to new ecological challenges.
• Motor skills: Their brain is well suited for motoric dexterity.

Year on year researchers are publishing amazing cognitive feats!

• They have been shown to delay gratification by refusing a small reward and instead choosing a token or tool. The next day, they either use the tool or barter for a larger reward.
• They can recognise human faces and will remember them for many months.
• They can share specific problem-solving motor skills with others.
• They can label objects by colour, shape and material as well as request or refuse objects.

So, what have scientists learned about Parrots and corvids in 2024?

In May, Scientists at the University of Glasgow discovered that Parrots who were taught to make video calls, preferred live chats to pre-recorded chats. Lead author, Dr Ilyena Hirskyi-Douglas reported that the Parrots could tell the difference between live interactions or pre-recorded chats, because the Parrots would interact with the other live bird in the same way as they would with other birds, in real life. When given the choice between making a live call or accessing a pre-recorded call, they were twice as likely to initiate a live call.

For a long time, scientists have been fascinated with the idea that other animals can perform basic arithmetic. In June 2024, Dr Andreas Nieder published his team’s research on the ability of corvids to count out loud, a skill that is challenging even for younger humans. Researchers trained three crows to emit one to four caws in response to seeing the number 1,2,3,4 projected on a screen. The birds also learned to count the proper number of vocalisations when cued by sounds.

Parrots in the wild face many environmental challenges; one that is often overlooked is the affect that parasites may have on their health as they transmit disease. Dr Penny Olsen and her team studied Green Parrots, and they observed the birds visiting young pepper trees to bite off lateral shoots, which they then chewed and combined with preen oil from their uropygial gland. Once mixed, they then rubbed this through their feathers. However, there is a further benefit to this, Dr Olsen suggests after watching how the birds reacted during this, that they may also have been getting high from the fumes.

City living Parrots have once again caught the attention of researchers. Dr Wazna and his team found that a surprising number of non-native Parrots are finding new homes throughout Poland. Not only are they navigating an inhospitable winter climate, with temperatures falling to between -4c and -35c, but they are also breeding and establishing new colonies.

As more Parrot species are becoming endangered, scientists have been looking at ways to bolster population by reintroducing captive bred individuals, as well as translocating wild birds. However, many of these birds, once released, are succumbing to predation. Simply, the birds do not recognise potential predators.

Dr Ariela Celeste lead a research team that looked at whether anti-predator training could stimulate aversive behaviour towards predators. They used the endangered Vinaceous-breasted Amazonian Parrot, as this species of Parrot now has fewer than 2500 mature individuals. The conclusion of the study suggests that anti-predatory training can stimulate anti-predator behaviours, which was demonstrated by an overall increase in alert and movement away from the trigger. They found that Parrots were capable of distinguishing between predator models and a harmless stimulus, by showing more relaxed behaviours i.e. eating and preening.

Dr Pepperberg and her team, continue to publish their discoveries. Following on from previous research on delayed gratification in corvids, they sought to replicate this with Parrots. They used one grey Parrot, who was laboratory raised and used to delayed gratification tasks, whilst the other two grey Parrots were companion birds with no specialist training. The team found that there was no difference between any of the birds in their success with delayed gratification tasks and that they would wait for more food for longer periods.

What will 2025 bring?

Special thanks to Agnes Coenen for allowing me to use her photographs of the endangered Vinaceous-breasted Amazonian Parrot. Agnes is a remarkable lady who has travelled the world to see species of Parrots everywhere that they live!