Experimental results show that large birds are not necessarily 'low intelligence,' but ostriches are devastating
While crows and parrots are known to be very intelligent, large birds that cannot fly or are not good at flying are often thought of as not being smart. However, by having terrestrial birds such as emus, which have been called the 'world's dumbest birds,' solve puzzles, it has been confirmed that even these relatively primitive birds have the 'innovation ability' to expand their knowledge through learning.
Palaeognath birds innovate to solve a novel foraging problem | Scientific Reports
February : Big bird intelligence | News and features | University of Bristol
https://bristol.ac.uk/news/2025/february-/big-bird-intelligence-.html
Palaeognath Birds are Capable of Technical Innovation, Study Shows | Sci.News
https://www.sci.news/biology/palaeognath-birds-technical-innovation-13694.html
'Many studies have shown that crows and parrots are good problem-solvers, but these birds all belong to the same family , the neognaths . The problem is that the more we experiment with these birds, the more we create an 'echo chamber' of knowledge, giving the false impression that other bird species are less intelligent,' says Faye E. Clarke of the University of Bristol in the UK.
While the Neognaths are often praised for their intelligence, the Paleognaths, which are mainly flightless birds, are generally called 'bird-brained' and have been considered to be less intelligent. However, there is a large disparity in the number of studies on the intelligence of Neognaths and Paleognaths, and it is possible that Paleognaths simply have not been found to be intelligent.
To investigate the intelligence of archaeomorphs, which are closer to our ancestors and are important for understanding the cognitive models of dinosaurs (avian dinosaurs), the research team conducted an experiment in which three bird species living at Noah's Ark Zoo in the UK - emus, rheas, and ostriches - were asked to solve puzzles.
The experiment involved placing food in pockets in a transparent container covered by a rotating wheel, and the animals had to align the pocket with the single hole in the wheel to obtain the food.
Although the puzzle is simple, it was a completely new experience for the birds, so the task is positioned as an assessment of whether the animals have the ability for 'innovation' based on flexible cognition.
When nine birds - three emus, two rheas and four ostriches - were given the puzzle, three emus and one rhea demonstrated an innovative way of spinning the wheel, which allowed them to turn it in the most efficient direction in 90% of cases, i.e. in the direction closest to the food and the hole.
By Fay Clark
In addition, one rhea showed two unexpected behaviors, removing the central bolt, destroying the puzzle and obtaining food in one go, which the research team evaluated as a 'second type of innovation.'
You can see the birds trying to solve the puzzle by playing the video below.
Emu solves puzzle - YouTube
The holes in the wheel and the pockets containing the food are misaligned, so the fish cannot eat the food.
He spun the wheel with his beak and successfully got his hands on his favorite lettuce.
One individual even managed to dismantle the puzzle, but later managed to solve it.
None of the four ostriches were able to solve the puzzle.
Regarding the results of the experiment, Clark said, 'We classify the innovations in Paleognatha as low-level or simple, not as complex as those seen in crows and parrots. Nevertheless, this is a very important discovery because until now, Paleognatha have not been reported to show innovations, and the common view has been that Paleognatha are stupid birds. Our study suggests that this is not true, and that the capacity for innovation in birds may have evolved much earlier than previously thought.'
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