Recommendation
Before reading The Genius of Birds, I didn’t know (or care) much about birds, and I certainly didn’t think they were geniuses. Fortunately, Jennifer Ackerman changed that and was able to open my mind to the intelligence and beauty of our avian friends.
Ackerman demonstrates how birds form complex social relationships, use tools, remember faces, and evaluate their decisions using a cost-benefit analysis of sorts.
“They may be relatively small brained, but they are certainly not small minded.” – The Genius of Birds
The cognitive ability of birds is astounding. For instance, crows can understand water displacement, a physical concept “on par with the comprehension of a child five to seven years old.”
Additionally, birds’ memories are incredible. Some can leave seeds buried somewhere and remember their exact location a year later.
There’s plenty more to learn from this book, but I’ll leave the fun facts to the ones presented.
I strongly recommend The Genius of Birds, whether you’re a bird fan or not. It’s amazing how efficient their brains are, and how they are, indeed, geniuses.