RE: Bird Brains

Crosby_M (CrosbyM@po1.cpi.bls.gov)
Wed, 20 Nov 1996 09:55:14 -0500


On Wednesday, November 20, 1996 2:37 AM, Chris Hind wrote:
<How intelligent are parrots in comparison to a dog or a human being. I am
speaking of _the_ most intelligent variety of parrot. Also if they can cram
more intelligence into a smaller space wouldn't it be a good way to learn
about a new design structure for the human brain? I also heard canaries can
regrow brain cells.>

I'm no expert on this but from what I've heard, crows are one of the most
intelligent bird species. I recall a story about a crow watching a human
who was ice fishing, saw that the person only checked the line when the red
flag on it popped up, and proceeded to wait til the flag popped up and
'reeled' in the line with its beak to steal the fish before the human
noticed.

*If* crow brains are not much bigger than other bird brains, what makes
them so much smarter than other birds?

Mark