Which is the most intelligent bird?

It is very difficult to evaluate intelligence in terms of animals such as birds. In the wild, there are birds that use small sticks in their beaks to poke insects from the bark of trees and, in urban areas of some countries, others which peck the tops from milk bottles, in order to reach the cream.

Both these examples must be a form of intelligence, since the birds have worked out for themselves how to reach the food. Scientists have actually devised a series of tests to try and gauge the relative intelligence of various species of birds. These involve the birds performing such feats as manipulating levers and rods in order to release a peanut or similar food item.

In a series of tests carried out in Great Britain, it was discovered that the bird which solved most of these puzzles the quickest was the blue tit. This bird was then awarded the title ‘Bird Brain of Britain’!