Calling someone a birdbrain typically is not meant as a compliment. In fact, the dictionary defines a birdbrain as a stupid person. Calling a person a dodo also signifies stupidity but is more accurate, since dodos were actually known for the stupidity that eventually led to their extinction. Traditionally, humans have not credited birds as being particularly intelligent and have assumed that their behaviors were directed by instinct. This fascinating volume puts those ideas to rest.
Although the anatomy and physiology of the avian brain have been well studied, few birds have been studied with respect to learning abilities. In the past few decades, scientists have learned that at least some birds demonstrate memory, tool-making, multitasking, and linguistic abilities. Research has shown these and other characteristics to be related to brain structure, and avian brain structure in many ways parallels mammalian brain structure. For example, the prefrontal cortex of mammalian...
University of California Press