Scientists Propose Sweeping Changes to Naming of Bird Neurosystems to Acknowledge Their True Brainpower
Researchers now see birds' cognitive ability as more comparable to mammals

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=100744&org=olpa&from=news

I'm interested in the study of animal cognition, particularly in birds. Anyone here study that? Have you read the review on tool use in corvids in the 10 December 2004 issue of Science?

I used to run into this african grey at the university of arizona that was amazing in its communicative ability

Scot E. DOwd Ph.D. said:

I used to run into this african grey at the university of arizona that was amazing in its communicative ability

You must be talking about Alex and Irene Pepperberg's work. Yes, he is really amazing. They are at Brandeis/MIT now. I hear that she's trying to teach them to surf the net. She's working with MIT media services to build devices they can use to, much like the pig who learned to use a joystick.

She recently published a paper that shows that the birds that have learned to communicate will ask for an item rather than trying to get it themselves whereas the untrained birds will try to figure out how to get the item.

I read, I guess in Scientific Americana, that some bird use highways to navigate. Also I see that many birds watch humans and avoid them intelligently! -Bhaskar

Bettye said:

Scientists Propose Sweeping Changes to Naming of Bird Neurosystems to Acknowledge Their True Brainpower Researchers now see birds' cognitive ability as more comparable to mammals http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=100744&org=olpa&from=news I'm interested in the study of animal cognition, particularly in birds. Anyone here study that? Have you read the review on tool use in corvids in the 10 December 2004 issue of Science?

I remember that article. I can't remember the birds that the researchers observed.

Birds are fascinating creatures. Very smart, especially the ones that avoid humans.