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Biology

Comparative Cognitive Abilities in Corvid and Parrot Species

Quick fact

Despite having no neocortex, corvids and parrots achieve cognitive feats comparable to great apes, thanks to a high density of neurons in their forebrain's pallium, with some species having more neurons than mammals of similar brain size.

Why this is interesting

You've probably seen a crow solve a puzzle or a parrot talk, but did you know these birds can outperform many mammals in cognitive tests? Their intelligence rivals that of great apes, yet their brains are built completely differently.