Bird Brain? It May Be A Compliment!

Abstract

Our view of the human brain will be different depending on whether we believe it represents a unique biological system for producing higher-order cognition or, instead, is one possible system for producing such cognition. During most of the history of brain science, point out neurobiologist Lesley J. Rogers and ethologist Gisela Kaplan, the working assumption was that only the human neocortex made possible certain cognitive achievements. Now that assumption is being called into question by new research on a host of higher-order cognitive capabilities. Where is the competition in brainy behavior coming from? It's coming from birds, the authors argue, citing new research on the surprising capabilities of some tiny brains.