Many birds are no less intelligent than mammals, despite their brain size.
For example, the brains of crows and parrots weigh ten to twenty grams, while the brain of a chimpanzee weighs about four hundred grams. According to research, the cognitive abilities of birds are related to the fact that they have two to three times more nerve cells per unit volume of brain than mammals. Their neurons are smaller and are packed extremely tightly.
In the course of the study, specialists analyzed the brains of pigeons using positron emission tomography.
It turned out that the relative energy consumption of neurons in birds is three times lower than that of mammals. Birds have additional mechanisms that allow them to use less energy for brain function.
Partly, this may be explained by their higher body temperature, but experts believe there are other factors. Perhaps the evolutionary strategy that allowed birds to achieve high intelligence was more optimal than that of mammals.
