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Birds of a feather? Parrot and corvid cognition compared

Lambert, Megan LU ; Jacobs, Ivo LU orcid ; Osvath, Mathias LU and von Bayern, Auguste (2019) In Behaviour 156(5-8). p.505-594
Abstract
The last several decades of research on avian cognition have revealed surprising parallels between the abilities of birds — most notably corvids — and great apes. Parrots, albeit far less studied, are cited alongside corvids as “feathered apes”, but are these two taxa really that similar cognitively? In this review we aim to take a step back and present the broader picture, focusing on areas where there is now data from both parrots and corvids to facilitate first comparisons on a somewhat wider scale. By charting these birds’ performance in cognitive tasks, in many of which corvids perform on par with primates, we hope to highlight understudied areas and promising directions for future research. In reviewing the literature, the general... (More)
The last several decades of research on avian cognition have revealed surprising parallels between the abilities of birds — most notably corvids — and great apes. Parrots, albeit far less studied, are cited alongside corvids as “feathered apes”, but are these two taxa really that similar cognitively? In this review we aim to take a step back and present the broader picture, focusing on areas where there is now data from both parrots and corvids to facilitate first comparisons on a somewhat wider scale. By charting these birds’ performance in cognitive tasks, in many of which corvids perform on par with primates, we hope to highlight understudied areas and promising directions for future research. In reviewing the literature, the general pattern that emerges shows that different corvid and parrot species indeed perform similarly in a range of cognitive tasks to the extent that one may call them “feathered apes”. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Behaviour
volume
156
issue
5-8
pages
89 pages
publisher
Brill
external identifiers
  • scopus:85062260509
ISSN
0005-7959
DOI
10.1163/1568539X-00003527
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c784d452-4ae0-46c3-a63b-e48d505296e6
date added to LUP
2018-11-29 16:33:58
date last changed
2022-04-25 19:08:29
@article{c784d452-4ae0-46c3-a63b-e48d505296e6,
  abstract     = {{The last several decades of research on avian cognition have revealed surprising parallels between the abilities of birds — most notably corvids — and great apes. Parrots, albeit far less studied, are cited alongside corvids as “feathered apes”, but are these two taxa really that similar cognitively? In this review we aim to take a step back and present the broader picture, focusing on areas where there is now data from both parrots and corvids to facilitate first comparisons on a somewhat wider scale. By charting these birds’ performance in cognitive tasks, in many of which corvids perform on par with primates, we hope to highlight understudied areas and promising directions for future research. In reviewing the literature, the general pattern that emerges shows that different corvid and parrot species indeed perform similarly in a range of cognitive tasks to the extent that one may call them “feathered apes”.}},
  author       = {{Lambert, Megan and Jacobs, Ivo and Osvath, Mathias and von Bayern, Auguste}},
  issn         = {{0005-7959}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5-8}},
  pages        = {{505--594}},
  publisher    = {{Brill}},
  series       = {{Behaviour}},
  title        = {{Birds of a feather? Parrot and corvid cognition compared}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-00003527}},
  doi          = {{10.1163/1568539X-00003527}},
  volume       = {{156}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}