Pigeons are remarkably smart birds with cognitive abilities comparable to three-year-old human children. They demonstrate self-cognition, the capacity to differentiate themselves in videos, and the ability to categorize complex visual stimuli such as distinguishing paintings by different artists. Pigeons can learn and remember hundreds of images over years, have impressive problem- solving skills, and possess spatial and temporal understanding despite lacking a parietal cortex like mammals. They are also known for their exceptional homing ability, visual memory, and have even been trained to identify cancer in medical images.
Cognitive Abilities
- Pigeons show self-awareness and can recognize themselves in delayed video footage, a feat that toddlers struggle with.
- They can visually discriminate between complex patterns and different styles of art.
- Their memory is strong, retaining numerous images for years.
- Pigeons can perform problem-solving tasks, such as string-pulling tests, better than some mammals like cats.
Visual and Spatial Intelligence
- Pigeons can detect ultraviolet light, aiding in specialized tasks like identifying colored life jackets in rescue operations.
- They understand concepts of space and time, processing these abstract ideas in different brain regions than humans.
- Their homing behavior allows them to navigate flexible routes back home from long distances.
Comparative Intelligence
- Pigeons' abilities to classify images, recognize human faces, and categorize stimuli by arbitrary rules indicate a high level of intelligence among birds.
- They outperform some mammals in visual cognition tests and have been subjects in numerous psychological studies showcasing their mental capacities.
In summary, pigeons possess intelligence that surpasses many other bird species and some mammals, displaying complex cognitive and visual skills uncommon in non-human animals.
