Kea Parrots Understand the Basics of Probability Theory 0 13

Scientists conducted an experiment in which parrots played a simple game. During the study, researchers placed a certain number of "lucky" (black) and "unlucky" (colored) sticks in several transparent boxes.

During the experiment, the scientists simultaneously pulled sticks from the containers and held them in closed hands, asking the parrots to guess which one would contain the black stick. If the parrot successfully completed the task, it received a piece of food; otherwise, it received nothing. The birds could peek inside the boxes to "count" the number of black sticks and assess the probability that the experimenter would draw one of them.

The results showed that the parrots performed the task as well as humans or chimpanzees. They accurately assessed the number of black sticks in the containers and correctly calculated the probability that the experimenter would draw the desired stick. Interestingly, the parrots remembered the biologists who deceived them during the game and later refused to interact with them.

This discovery that parrots can use the basics of statistics is particularly interesting given that their brains are significantly smaller than those of humans and have a completely different structure. Neurophysiologists note that this suggests that a multilayered cortex is not a prerequisite for the ability to think in such a manner. Furthermore, this study challenges the notion that "advanced" intellectual abilities are a unique trait of primates.