Smartest Birds in Class

Two of the smartest birds in the world are the Kea (Nestor notabilis), a New Zealand parrot, and the New Caledonian crow (Corvus moneduloides). These birds regularly wow researchers with their intelligence and ability to solve problems. For example, both of these birds are highly skilled at using tools. The New Caledonia crow makes and uses things like sticks and pieces of leaves to get grubs from tree bark. The Kea, although not known for using tools in the wild, has proven its ability to use them in research studies.

parrot using tool — Parrot Kea uses a ball shaped tool at the Multi Access Box. Photo credit: Alice Auersperg

Testing a bird’s IQ

So how do you test the smarts of a bird? Researchers in the Cognitive Biology Department of the University of Vienna came up with a sneaky plan to challenge these feathery friends. Each bird was presented with a clear box that had a treat visible from the outside. The bird was offered four different methods to get to the treat. It could pull a string, pull a hook-shaped lever to open a window, insert a compact tool into a path or insert a rod-shaped stick into an opening. The tricky thing is that once a bird mastered a technique for getting the treat that path would no longer work. If the bird wanted to keep getting treats, it would have to figure out a different way to get to the food reward.