The 5 Smartest Birds You Can Keep as Pets

For years, scientists have studied animal intelligence, and birds are frequently at the top of the list of the smartest animals. However, some birds, including common pet parrots, have been shown to be smarter than others.

Afro-African Grey Parrot

African Grey parrots are the most extensively researched species of pet bird and have shown a very high level of intelligence. Alex was one of the most well-known African Greys, but he died in 2007 at the age of 31. Dr. Pepperberg, a doctoral student at the time, bought him from a pet store at the age of one year and cared for and studied him for the rest of his life.

Until Alex, the majority of avian intelligence studies were conducted with pigeons, which was unsatisfactory, to say the least. Alex revolutionized people's perceptions of what a bird might learn. Alex learned over 100 English words throughout the course of his life and was regarded to have the intelligence of a five-year-old when he died.

Some critics of Alex's research say that he was only a product of operant training rather than actual comprehension, but even if it was just a conditioned reaction, Alex's talents were considerably beyond those of most pet birds.

Because of Alex, African Grey parrots have gained a reputation for being intelligent birds that require constant mental stimulation.

Macaws

There are several different types of macaws, including the longest parrot on the planet, the Hyacinth macaw, which is also classified as a parrot-like African Grey. All parrots, and thus macaws, are thought to have similar intelligence levels.

Some macaws' intelligence has been compared to that of a human toddler. They can solve problems, use tools, and communicate effectively with other birds by using sounds and even physical changes such as face blushing.

According to a Canadian study published in 2018, there is a distinct variation in the size of one specific area of a parrot's brain after evaluating 98 different bird brains. The cortex and cerebellum communicate through this region of the parrot's brain, which is similar to that of a primate, another highly intelligent animal. It's known as the piriform nucleus, and it's two to five times larger in parrots than it is in chickens. This area of the brain is regarded to be important for sophisticated behavior planning and execution.

Cockatoos

The first type of bird to be seen making musical instruments was the cockatoo, which is also a type of parrot. Palm cockatoos have been observed in Australia using twigs and seed pods to make drumsticks, and other types of cockatoos can sway to a musical beat, demonstrating a sense of rhythm.

One 2014 study used Goffin cockatoos, a small type of cockatoo, to demonstrate their recognition of object permanence.

Object permanence is simply the understanding that even if an object is not visible, it is still present. Object persistence studies in birds are frequently described using the analogy of a nut in a pocket that is out of sight. Solving an object permanence puzzle is often not possible in human babies until they are 18 to 24 months old. 4 The study found that wild Goffin cockatoos have spatial reasoning ability equivalent to primates and human babies, which is unsurprising.

Budgerigars

The budgerigar, sometimes known as a budgie or a common parakeet, is one of the smallest members of the parrot family (with the parrotlet being the actual smallest parrot). But just because the budgie is small doesn't imply it isn't intelligent.

Budgies were the first non-mammal species to demonstrate an understanding of human language, but their abilities are only comparable to that of a seven-month-old human child. One study found that budgies could recognize a specific pattern of meaningless words, demonstrating the ability to recognize an abstract pattern.

This is significant because, prior to this study, only humans, rats, monkeys, and other intelligent species had demonstrated this ability.

Conures

Conures, like the other types of birds on this list, come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and all conures are parrots. Conures, as a result, require a great deal of cerebral stimulation and enrichment to keep their sharp minds occupied. A conure requires a lot of exercises, toys, and social activities. Whether it's a Green-cheeked, Jenday, or Sun conure, all conures will demonstrate their intelligence.