There is a statement that a chicken is not worthy to be called a bird - it can fly with a kick from its owner. But we are of the opinion that the chicken is the most successfully evolved bird on the planet. After all, the high level of productivity, unpretentiousness to food and living conditions overcomes any drawback, and most importantly, they are to the taste of people.
The chicken is the most popular and studied of all birds.At the moment there are more than 30 billion individuals in the world. Each hen is a unique exploration site.
1. The chicken is smarter than your child.
Yes, toddlers are developmentally inferior to chickens. And inIn 2004, it became the first bird to have its entire genome sequence , which gave impetus to scientific intervention in their physiology, social behavior and even psychology. Scientists have found thatThe learning ability and level of socialization in chickens is on par with primates. This bold conclusion by scientists gave us the crazy idea that perhaps one day we will be able to use these birds as chatbots... But this is just our guess.
Needless to say, there is more going on in the chicken coop than the eye can see, and birds are not robots with delicate egg-laying breasts...especially if you bake the breast in honey sauce... They are intelligent creatures who live their own lives! So if it has never occurred to you that chickens can think, here is some food for thought. And if you want something other than just for thought, here’s a great one for you .
2. They are more talkative than you on the 1st date.
Clucking is not a random sound, it is a language of its own. In addition, scientists that they also make the following sounds: “ko-ko”, “pok”, “brock” and “kwok”. Of course, it will be difficult for you to distinguish between them, but if you had as much time for research as scientists from , you could do it too.
We have no idea how they deciphered these sounds. But from these basic syllables, birds are able to compose at least 30 different phrases, which in meaning can be translated from chicken as follows: “Hey, I found a bunch of grasshoppers, come fly!”, “See you later, the eggs are not waiting!”, “Come here, sexy chick!"
Other phrases are the answer in stressful situations, and are divided into calls that warn of predators.
Chickens begin to speak affectionately to their chicks while they are stillin the egg, and if you listen carefully, you can hear the chicks squeaking from the egg in response. But here’s the problem: the chicken perceives as its parent the one it saw first after hatching, despite its linguistic identity.
3. Chickens have more empathy than your boss.
Joe Edgar, a British researcher, determined that chickens are capable of empathizing with others. He designed an experiment that simulated chick stress and found that the mother hen behaved as if she herself was in pain, a classica sign of empathy.Birds may be in mourning when a chick dies. They are prone to depression if isolated from the group and placed in a single cage.
4. Chickens dream more often, and their dreams are more colorful than yours.
We know they can dream, but we don't know exactly what.When scientists learn chicken language, they will ask the first laying hen: “What are you dreaming about?” For now, all that is known is what do chickens have , in which they dream, like humans and other mammals.
Their dreams are based on fears or desires. They look like they can fly like eagles (even though in reality chickens can only fly for a few seconds).
Chickens have a phase of slow-wave sleep that is different from that of humans - one half of the brain is resting, and the otherhalf are awake. This is why you can see a sleeping chicken with one eye open and one closed. This adaptation makes it possible to keep an eye out for predators while resting and gives the chick a sense of security. Although it looks like something out of a horror movie.
5. Size matters! And every chicken knows it
There are several criteria that hens use to determine how attractive a rooster is. Size and stateliness are important, as more powerful roosters have a higher rank in the hierarchy and are thus able to provide more food for a harem of laying hens. The size and color of the comb also influence the choice, as does the goatee - the hanging part under the chin. The bigger and redder the better. The food obtained, the beard and comb of the rooster are important during the mating dance, which is called the “ballroom”. In it, the rooster repeatedly raises and lowers the food, inviting the female, while shaking his beard and crest as hard as possible. However, hens prefer promiscuity and mate with several roosters in turn. They have the unique ability to reject low-quality sperm after copulation - this ensures a strong brood.
A huge number of people suffer from a fear of chickens - it's called alektrophobia, which sounds as ridiculous as what scientists have learned about chickens. that chickens can distinguish between more than 100 individuals of their own species and people. So they will remember someone who treats them badly. Chickens have demonstrated the ability to decide complex problems, they, like birds of prey, have visual acuity of more than 300%, and a review of 360 degrees, like an owl. Their number is 4.5 times greater than the number of people on the planet. Chickens are the closest alive - Research determined this in 2007 by testing proteins from preserved T-REX femur bones.
Yes, the world has never seen chickens rebel against farmers due to poor conditions in the chicken coop or fear of ending up in the soup. NOh, those who pluck feathers, cut off beaks and engage in other atrocities on factory farms - beware, the birds are already plotting against you.
Daniel Smith is a scientist, anthropologist and evolutionist who has devoted his entire life to studying the mysteries of man, society, the development and life of people. Thanks to this, the scientific world saw many discoveries and began to understand more clearly complex social mechanisms, the principles of their development and formation. However, the scientist's special interest has always been the human brain.
Who would have guessed that we, reasonable people, who allow ourselves to joke about the “chicken mind”, are actually behind in development from the object of our jokes.
Now the phrase “chicken mind” can be taken not as an insult, but as a compliment! A study conducted by Daniel Smith proved that humans still have room to grow compared to their feathered friends. It turned out that chickens smarter than a person only because they use their intellectual potential more actively than people.
The essence of the study
During the study, the scientist wanted to find out the characteristics of brain activity in stressful situations. As it turns out, stress is a powerful stimulus for unlocking the capabilities of all living organisms on the planet. It is stress that activates mechanisms that are normally dormant.
A chicken and a human were artificially put into a state of stress and they began to study the activity of the brain and the degree of realization of intelligence. During these studies, scientists encountered an incredible, unexpected discovery. Hens and roosters easily used 16-18% of their mental potential, while for the average person the limit is 14%.
However, it is also surprising that despite the low percentage of realization of intellectual potential, a person still remains a leader in the ability to adapt and survive in extreme conditions.
It is still unknown how the ability of chickens and people to use their mental abilities changed at different stages of development - the scientist is still working on studying this area, but there is already information that this was not always the case.
What follows from this?
Of course, the fact that a chicken is smarter than a person should not be taken literally. The fact is that the intellectual abilities of humans and birds are significantly different. The essence of the study is different - its results show us that with unequal levels mental abilities, it was chickens who stepped forward in their development and learned to use their potential to a fuller extent.
Evolutionists suggest that this is the result of survival experience and that a person’s abilities can also be fully activated during a period of real threat to life. However, the fact remains that the chicken has surpassed man in development and uses for its own benefit more of what is given to it by nature than man!
There is a proverb in India - any chicken is smarter than a child or any child is dumber than a chicken.
The study that chickens are smarter than humans was carried out quite recently, and Daniel Smith shared the results of his work only on January 13, 2018.
But scientists have not stopped working on this issue; moreover, all over the world science has become interested in such features of development. Therefore, let's hope that in the near future science will delight us with new, interesting discoveries. Is a chicken really smarter than a human? Now the phrase “You have chicken brains" - can be considered a compliment.
No one is surprised that some animals are smarter than others. In particular, among birds there are very smart creatures that exhibit intellectual abilities that, as previously thought, were characteristic only of humans. For example, magpies recognize their reflection in a mirror, and New Caledonian crows create tools, with young birds adopting these skills from their parents. African parrots can count objects and classify them by color and shape; they can even be taught to understand human speech. And the gray crested cockatoo named Snowball happily dances to the rhythmic music. However, hardly anyone would consider an ordinary domestic chicken to be a smart bird.
However, for last years Scientists have discovered that chickens are cunning creatures that can only pretend to be stupid, and that they have communication abilities on par with some primates, using a complex system of signals to convey their intentions. In the decision-making process, chickens also rely on own experience, and on your knowledge of the environment. They are able to solve quite complex problems and even empathize with their relatives who are in danger. New insights into cognitive abilities in chickens suggest that some of the complex intellectual qualities traditionally attributed only to primates may be more widespread across the animal kingdom than previously thought.
The studies discussed also raise the question of how ethical our attitude towards domestic chickens raised in poultry farms is. After all, the realization that chickens have highly developed cognitive skills makes one wonder how morally justifiable it is to keep them on farms in conditions aimed solely at making chicken meat and eggs as cheap as possible.
Chatty birds
It took almost 100 years of research to figure out what exactly is going on in the brains of chickens. The first shifts began in the 1920s. last century, when the Norwegian biologist Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe discovered the presence of a hierarchical social system in these birds, which he called the “pecking order.” He made this conclusion after he discovered that chickens defend their leading position in the hierarchy by distributing blows with their beaks to those relatives who, being of a lower rank, dare to do actions (or even just intentions) that are not due to their status.
The next major breakthrough in understanding chicken intelligence came several decades later. The late Nicholas & Elsie Collias, who worked together at the University of California, Los Angeles, classified the sounds made by birds and determined that the chicken "repertoire" contains about 24 different calls, many of which are apparently used only under certain conditions. For example, when faced with a threat coming from above, say, with an eagle flying out to hunt, birds crouch to the ground and utter a quiet, excited “eeeeee.” And the clucking sound that most people associate with chickens actually serves as a warning that a land-based predator is approaching. If the rooster finds food, he usually makes a series of insistent sounds, referred to as “dok-dok,” especially if there is an opportunity to interest the female whose attention he was seeking.
These discoveries made it possible to think that in the chicken brain, much more complex processes may occur than it seems at first glance - even if this brain is no larger than a hazelnut. After all, it is quite natural to assume that a certain set of sounds allows chickens to transmit messages to each other, designed for a very specific reaction. However, confirming such guesses turned out to be difficult. Only in the 1990s. The development of technology has given scientists the opportunity to test various hypotheses in detail and identify the true purpose of bird calls. That's when the late Chris Evans of Macquarie University in Sydney. Australia and other researchers have begun using digital audio recorders and high-definition television screens to conduct controlled experiments aimed at identifying the meaning of certain sounds in the highly signal-rich "speech" of chickens. The essence of the work was this. that with the help of television screens placed around the cages, a whole “virtual reality” was created for the birds, in which it was possible to make the chicken “contact” with a variety of creatures - a companion, a competitor, a predator - and record the response of the experimental bird in a given situation. The test chickens were shown either a hawk flying over them, or a fox running towards them, and another time - a fellow rooster making its “dok-dok” sounds.
Experiments in virtual reality have revealed a completely unexpected fact: both verbal and non-verbal signals (body movements) produced by chickens convey meaningful information that is understandable to all other individuals of the species. For example, in order to provoke a defensive reaction in a chicken, it is not at all necessary for it to be shown a real predator; it is enough to let it listen to the warning signal of another bird. Animal behaviorists can rightfully call chicken “speech” functionally oriented. This must be understood to mean that their sound signals indicate specific objects or events, and this is generally reminiscent of the use of words in human speech. As soon as a chicken hears a certain sound, an image of a certain object appears in its brain, prompting the bird to behave accordingly - for example, fleeing from a predator or heading to the feeder.
In addition, in experiments in “virtual reality,” researchers discovered a dependence of the signals sent by the bird on how it relates to the individuals around it. For example, a rooster who notices a threat will raise the alarm only if a female is nearby, whereas in the presence of a male competitor he will prefer to remain silent. However, the behavior of females is just as selective as the behavior of males - they sound the alarm only if they have a brood of chicks.
Summarizing these facts, it can be argued that the sounds made by chickens reflect something more than just their internal state at the level of “I’m hungry” or “I’m scared.” In addition, they delve into the meaning of current events and react to them purely reflexively, with the help of well-thought-out actions. Consequently, chickens think before doing something - and this trait brings them closer not so much to other birds, but to mammals, which have much larger brains.
If we don't wash, we'll go for a ride?
The presence of a system of meaningful signals in domestic chickens suggests that their thinking is a much more complex and developed process than previously thought. This raises another very intriguing question: since these birds have the ability to share information about events and phenomena occurring around them, can they “keep” useful information for themselves or even distribute it in a distorted form for profit? Scientists answered this question by studying other types of signals given by chickens.
Since the 40s. XX century researchers were well aware of the complex dances that chickens perform when they discover food. The most spectacular of them is called “tidbitting”: it consists of a series of movements with which the rooster (alpha male) tries to show the female that he has found something tasty for her. At the same time, he quickly jerks his head up and down and from side to side, periodically lifting and tossing the found treat. This presentation is the main way a rooster attracts a female. Scientists believed that other males should not display the same behavior in order to avoid aggression from the alpha male. However, observations of chickens in their social environment showed a hierarchy based on “pecking order.” - the thing is not as clear-cut as it seemed after the first experiments. Indeed, more recent research suggests that these birds can be surprisingly cunning beasts.
The true nature of the relationships unfolding between individual chickens within a flock was initially misperceived by observers. After all, chickens constantly strive to find shelter from prying eyes in tall grass or thickets of bushes. In addition, it is simply impossible for one person to keep track of all the birds at the same time. To keep the difficulties to a minimum, one of the authors of this article (Carolynn Smith) came up with a research scheme that she called, in the Orwellian tradition, “Chicken Big Brother.”
On the grounds of Macquarie University, Smith and her colleagues set up open aviaries - vast natural areas, bordered on all sides by nets, with plenty of vegetation, many microphones and high-definition tracking cameras to monitor literally every movement and sound made by the birds. The researchers then carefully analyzed the resulting recordings.
As expected, in each group the alpha male crowed constantly to remind everyone of his rights to the territory he occupied. Naturally, he arranged and fiery dance“a tasty morsel” for their females and warned the entire group when they were in danger from above.
But the real surprise came from the roosters, who occupied a much more modest position in the hierarchy. It seemed obvious to the researchers that they would behave as carefully as possible in order to avoid conflict with the alpha male, who would chase, peck or beat them with spurs for trying to “show off” in front of his harem. However, thanks to cameras and microphones, scientists were presented with a much more complex picture. The “secondary” males chose a different, hidden tactic, previously considered impossible for birds. They performed only the motor part of the dance, without making a sound, which allowed them to silently attract females, without giving the alpha male a reason for aggressive attacks.
The researchers were simply shocked by the amazing plasticity of behavior of low-ranking males, who changed the dance ritual in such a way as to secretly seduce females. But that was only the beginning!
Scientists were able to experience the full depth of chicken cunning only when they were able to complicate recording equipment to more accurately study the behavior of birds. The fact is that chicken voices were often so elusive that Smith and her colleagues were unable to hear them properly even at maximum resolution. They needed a tool that could actually record any sound made by one chicken and heard by another.
Ideally, chickens would be equipped with small “backpacks” with lightweight wireless microphones inside, the kind that journalists carry with them when working in the field. But where to find material suitable for such purposes? And then it occurred to Smith to use... bras! She began looking for old bras with simple clasps and preferably black so that they would not stand out too much against the dark plumage. Smith cut off hooks and adjustable straps and fashioned them into a kind of harness to which she attached microphones. Such homemade devices, called Chicken Big Brother 2.0, were securely attached to the chicken’s chest and now recorded literally everything that the bird itself heard or said.
Scientists were especially interested in the reaction of chickens to danger. Previous observations have shown that a male, when attacked by an aerial predator, such as a hawk, will often “call the fire on himself” by loudly squealing about the danger and thereby exposing himself to the obvious risk of being noticed and captured. The researchers explained this by: that it is vitally important for a male to protect his mate and offspring. But Carolyn Smith wondered if there were other circumstances that influenced this type of behavior.
Research has shown that such factors exist. With the help of his invention, which allows him to understand the subtlest nuances of chicken signals. Smith was able to prove that. “Trumpeting” about danger, males are often guided solely by selfish motives. When a threat approached, males compared their chances of avoiding danger with those of their rivals and were more likely to raise the alarm if they decided that they were safer than their competitors. In general, males scream about danger more often if they are hiding in the bushes, while their rival is walking in the open in full view of a hungry predator. With a successful combination of circumstances, a cunning rooster can kill two birds with one stone at once - both protect his female and get rid of the enemy!
This strategy is known in behavioral science as “risk compensation,” and is another personality trait that is common to both chickens and humans. It has been proven that many of us take on more if there are any “extenuating” circumstances. Just as a person presses harder on the gas if he is wearing a seat belt or the car is equipped with an anti-lock brake system, so a rooster is more likely to risk his life precisely when he feels sufficiently protected.
Caring mothers
The list of cognitive abilities of chickens grows with each new discovery. Giorgio Vallortigara from the University of Trento. Italy, proved that young chickens can distinguish numbers and even use the principles of geometry. Thus, birds that were shown a triangle that was only half drawn were able to recognize its true shape. And research published in 2011 by Joanne Edgar and her colleagues from the University of Bristol. England, demonstrated that in addition to their downright Machiavellian cunning, chickens reveal the ability to sincerely empathize with others.
The experiment in question involved brood hens who were forced to watch their chicks receive safe and painless blows from a blast of air that merely ruffled their fluffy plumage. However, the chicks themselves perceived the shocks as a real threat and showed classic signs of stress, such as an increased heart rate and a drop in temperature. Amazingly, their mothers also began to worry and cluck more animatedly when they saw the reaction of their chicks. They showed the same signs of stress as their chicks, although they themselves did not feel the air shocks and clearly saw that there was no immediate threat to the chicks. All these results demonstrate the ability of common chickens to put themselves in the shoes of their relatives, which is a very specific behavioral trait that has previously been attributed only to a limited number of species, such as crows, squirrels and, of course, humans. The fact that a simple domestic chicken, which has no close family ties with those groups of birds whose high mental abilities are generally known, has an equally outstanding intelligence, makes us think about the mystery of the origin of intelligence in general. Perhaps “intelligence” is characteristic of the animal world to a much greater extent than previously thought, and appears wherever the social way of life is favorable for it, and is not at all an exception, difficult for biological evolution. In all likelihood, chickens inherited powerful cognitive gifts from their wild ancestor, the bank chicken, which lives in the forests of South and Southeast Asia. In those places, the ancestors of chickens formed long-term, relatively stable groups, numbering from four to 13 individuals of different ages. The dominant male and female at the head of each group, like most animals, obtained the best of everything, be it food, space to live or sexual partners, at the expense of more or less suppressing the rest of the pack. Males spent the bulk of their time attracting females and providing them with food; the females carefully watched the males, evaluating their actions and remembering their actions in order to avoid in the future those who acted meanly or unkindly. The “reputation” of each individual rooster was of great importance for his successful and long-term communication with females, since competition for them was fierce.
However, competition within the flock is not the only factor that pushes the bird's mind to develop. The presence of external threats (including terrestrial and flying predators such as foxes and hawks) resulted in a variety of escape strategies that varied depending on the behavior of the predator. This forced the birds to develop more highly intelligent ways of interacting with each other and responding to external dangers, as well as looking for ways to “discuss” emerging situations. All of the above traits are still present in domesticated chickens.
It’s not easy to come to terms with that right away. that this entire long list of intellectual abilities applies to birds, which humanity has used for millions of years as a reliable source of food. The question inevitably arises about the conditions of their maintenance and cultivation. Birds that live in small groups in the wild can be kept on farms at an incredible density of 50 thousand birds per house. The life expectancy of chickens in nature is ten years, but here they are reduced to six weeks if they are raised for meat. They are killed young because of the risk of developing heart disease, osteoporosis and bone fractures, which are inevitable consequences of the ultra-fast growth of breeds specially selected for poultry production. Laying hens are a little more lucky - after all, they have a life of one and a half years to live, albeit in a cage the size of an A4 sheet.
The flexibility and adaptability of domestic chickens, inherited from their flocking wild ancestor - the bank chicken, seems to have played a cruel joke, allowing the new species to survive in the completely abnormal, full of stress conditions in which people raise them. And nothing is likely to change unless most of us think about it. where our food comes from and how many creatures of outstanding intelligence it costs their lives.
However, even ordinary people are gradually beginning to see the light. In Europe and some North American states, such as California, new laws are currently being passed requiring improved conditions for laying hens. The process was initiated by buyers themselves, concerned about improving the health of animals, as well as improving the quality of food products. Australian producers are now emphasizing improved conditions for raising chickens on their farms as they compete for a growing segment of caring consumers. However, much remains to be done. The conditions under which chickens are raised for meat are still poorly known to the general public.
Scientists are just beginning to comprehend the true essence of the type of intelligence that is characteristic of chickens, but one fact is no longer in doubt: common sayings hinting at the complete lack of intelligence in chickens: chicken brains, “stupid as a chicken” and the like - should henceforth be considered an anachronism .
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Are chickens that stupid?
The chickens look a little strange, although they are cute. There are approximately 19 billion chickens in the world, making them one of the most common bird species on the planet. Many people perceive domestic chickens as pets, despite the fact that they are typical representatives of the chicken class - along with pheasants, partridges and turkeys. They are viewed as a stupid little home factory for producing eggs and feathers. But perhaps after reading our article you will change your mind.
Arithmetic skills
It turned out that even small groups of chickens are capable of interacting with each other quite intelligently and sometimes using aggression.
Scientists conducted a study in which they asked a group of students to observe chickens learning for two hours. The birds were forced to alternately experience 3 emotions: boredom, sadness and joy.
At first, the students were sure that watching chickens was a rather boring activity. However, in the end they changed their minds and admired how quickly these birds were able to learn.
Another study was previously published showing that chickens have good memory and can add and subtract. The author of the experiment, Rosa Rugani, suggested feeding the chickens daily near a sign with 5 dots on it. For some time, the researchers accustomed the birds to this, and then placed 2 more signs next to each other: one had 2 dots, and the other had 8. The chickens remembered that the food was behind the one with 5 dots, and understood that 2 was less than 5, so such a plate is located on the left, and with eight - on the right. Scientists believe that this proves that chickens have arithmetic skills.
Intelligent Communication
The researchers also found that the birds don't just cackle: they have a conversation. For example, if a rooster finds food, he makes special sounds to call the hens, and these sounds vary depending on the type of food. If there is a competitor (another rooster) nearby, he will peck all the food on his own. However, there are also cases when birds deceive each other. For example, roosters sometimes call hens, using the same sounds they use when detecting food, to a place where there is no food. Apparently, this is their own peculiar way of “framing”. There is a certain amount of communication in the pen: the birds communicate with each other and can change the topic, depending on who the conversation is with.
Self-control
Another experiment with chickens showed that these birds are capable of planning and self-control. They were offered food in two different bowls: in the first case, grain was poured with an interval of 2 seconds, but in small portions, and in the second case, with an interval of 6 seconds, but in a large volume. The birds preferred to wait to get more food.
Birds can show empathy
It has been noted that chickens are characterized by empathy. This is especially true in the case of maternal instinct. If birds see how small chickens are placed in an incubator where there is a lack of air, older chickens begin to call loudly and often for children, their heart beats faster at this moment. They worry even if the chicken does not experience discomfort and feels well.
The next time you feel like calling someone a stupid chicken, think about the fact that maybe those birds didn't deserve to be considered that way. It is very important that such studies are carried out and prove the presence of intelligence in chickens. Maybe this will help those who breed these birds to look at them in a new way and stop perceiving them as an egg factory.
A variety of birds live near us. We love them for their individuality, temperament, bright colors and tints of plumage, exuberant singing and, last but not least, for their ingenuity, sense of humor, and sometimes extraordinary intelligence. Which birds are considered the smartest, and why these particular species, you will learn from this article.
There are two main approaches to answering the question of whether a bird can be considered smart. The first, more primitive assessment determines how closely the bird is able to imitate human behavior and adapt to coexistence - whether it can solve problems, open a cage or bag of food, talk, etc.
The second, more scientific approach, looks at the situation from a different angle, assessing how well the bird can adapt to its environment. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, but given that birds cannot take IQ tests, both approaches can provide a general idea of a bird's intelligence.
The smartest birds - Crows
Humans have long known that ravens and other corvids are very intelligent birds, and research has shown that they are probably the most intelligent birds.
Ravens (Corvus corax) are found in European folklore and Native American traditions dating back centuries, and are large birds with shiny black feathers, a heavy beak and wide, sweeping wings.
They have wedge-shaped tails, which they masterfully use for flight control and acrobatic stunts. While on the ground, crows stagger slightly or jump on both legs at the same time.
Why are they considered the smartest birds? The basis for this is painstaking scientific research. One of the most famous researchers of raven intelligence was Bernd Heinrich, who published his research in the book The Mind of Ravens. He spent decades surrounded by wild crows, studying their behavior.
The scientist's most stunning finding was that ravens can consider the consequences of their actions and make decisions based on them. They have problem solving and learning skills. This is definitely one of the smartest birds on the planet, if not the smartest.
The smartest birds - African Gray Parrots
The African gray parrot (Psittcus erithacus) is a long-time acquaintance of every bird lover. It was this species that became famous as John Silver's savvy companion in Robert Louis Stevenson's book Treasure Island.
African gray parrots are famous for their ability to speak meaningfully rather than just imitate sounds. This is truly the hallmark of a very intelligent bird.
Research has shown that they can memorize a vocabulary of 500 words and use them to express their thoughts and desires - just like humans do. In fact, these intelligent birds have the same level of language comprehension as a three-year-old child.
This vocal ability most likely comes from the fact that in the wild, parrots use a wide range of sounds to communicate with other parrots. They can “talk” about everything - from courtship and raising chicks, to issues of nutrition and finding shelter; birds even know how to mourn the dead of their fellow tribesmen.
The African gray parrot, along with other bird species presented in this article, can deservedly be considered one of the smartest birds.
The smartest birds - Starlings
Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are an incredibly social bird, and their sociable nature likely helps develop their intelligence, which is why starlings are considered very intelligent birds.
The widespread species is found in Europe, North Africa and Asia, and once it arrived in North America, it immediately felt at home. Starlings are stunningly beautiful, their plumage is not just black - their feathers shimmer in the light, shining in different shades of blue, green and purple.
One of the most obvious signs of starling intelligence is its famous group movements. It is an amazing sight to see thousands of birds flock together in a breathtaking display of amazing coordination, creating rapidly changing shapes that fill the entire sky.
The celestial performance of starlings is an unforgettable sight
Exactly how starlings carry out their display or why they do it is not thoroughly understood, but the organization and impressive attentiveness, the unfathomable concentration of all the members of a huge group of birds, none of which collides with the other, is simply phenomenal.
Starlings are amazingly intelligent birds that still remain poorly understood.
The smartest birds - Weavers
There are many species of weavers, originating mainly from the tropical forests of sub-Saharan Africa. Some of them live in South Asia and Madagascar.
The clever little birds are the consummate architects of the avian world and get their sonorous name from the impressive nests that males create for their mates during the breeding season.
These birds are similar in size to sparrows, and some species have thick, heavy beaks to husk the tough seed coats, while others have longer, sharper beaks to catch insects. Males are dressed in bright colors, while females remain inconspicuous.
Weavers are very smart birds, because they not only weave their beautiful nests, they are able to teach this art and can learn. They are not born with the innate ability to create artful homes, they are forced to persistently work, study and develop skills throughout their lives.
Some species build communal nesting areas containing hundreds of nests, which require teamwork much like urban planning. After this, how can one not call the weaver the smartest bird?
The smartest birds - Chickens
The chicken is perhaps the last bird that comes to mind when thinking about choosing the smartest bird. But this is completely unfair! Domestic chickens evolved from the Red Junglefowl about 5,000 years ago and are highly inquisitive, social birds well adapted to living in nature and around humans.
They recognize people, remember places where they have been, and a number of events - both good and bad. The linguistic system of chickens is extensive, and includes about thirty different “words”.
Silk chickens
Chickens are perfectly designed by nature; they can fly short distances if necessary, although they usually fly vertically into the air when in danger. The shape of the beak is versatile - they can consume a wide variety of food, which gives them a better chance of survival, while the strong legs are great for raking the ground and finding food spotted by a chicken's sharp eye.
The hen is a caring hen and carefully teaches the chickens to understand the different shades of their call, peck grains and hide in case of danger. Chicken is definitely one of the smartest birds. And certainly the closest and most valuable species of birds to humans.
The smartest birds - Hummingbirds
Of all the 9,600 species of birds, hummingbirds probably have the most complex method of flight. They have mastered its unique form, which combines high speed and rotating movements, causing the miniature bird to soar in the air like a helicopter.
Unlike ordinary birds, hummingbirds have shoulder and elbow joints close together, and the hand bones are widened. This means they can rotate their wings while hanging from a flower like bumblebees, and can also fly long distances.
Some species travel up to three thousand miles during migration. Moreover, the birds are not just small, they are the smallest in the world - the Bee Hummingbird from Cuba reaches only 5.7 cm in length and 2 g in weight.
Everything in these small creatures is adapted to the consumption of their main food - flower nectar. Special wings allow them to soar and collect nectar using their long beak and tongue.
This is probably one of the smartest birds from the point of view of the birds themselves, combining miniature size and remarkable adaptability to environmental conditions.
Gray African parrot - smart and charming
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