Why birds are smart

Onur Güntürkün, Roland Pusch, Jonas Rose, Why birds are smart, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, December 13, 2023 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2023.11.002

Highlights: Corvids and parrots with brains of 5–20 g show cognitive properties similar to those of great apes like chimpanzees with brains of about 400 g.

An isocortex is ideal to represent and process sensory information but is not a necessity for complex cognition.

We identified four convergently evolved neural features of smart birds and mammals: many associative pallial neurons, a pallial area that overtakes functions of the mammalian prefrontal cortex, dense dopaminergic innervation of associative pallial areas, and flexible neural fundaments of working memory.

As in mammals, avian cognition emerges from transiently activated forebrain networks.

Abstract: Many cognitive neuroscientists believe that both a large brain and an isocortex are crucial for complex cognition. Yet corvids and parrots possess non-cortical brains of just 1–25 g, and these birds exhibit cognitive abilities comparable with those of great apes such as chimpanzees, which have brains of about 400 g. This opinion explores how this cognitive equivalence is possible. We propose four features that may be required for complex cognition: a large number of associative pallial neurons, a prefrontal cortex (PFC)-like area, a dense dopaminergic innervation of association areas, and dynamic neurophysiological fundaments for working memory. These four neural features have convergently evolved and may therefore represent ‘hard to replace’ mechanisms enabling complex cognition.

H/t Tyler Cowen.