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Full Description
"This book is a gem, witty, entertaining, insightful, and deeply informative—a must-read for anyone interested in birds or brains." JENNIFER ACKERMAN, New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Birds, What an Owl Knows, and The Bird Way
"A vivid book on avian intelligence."—Booklist, STARRED Review
Discover the secret intelligence of birds, revealed by one of the world's leading researchers in avian innovation.
Surveying a wide variety of birds, including crows, finches, tits, and parrots, Louis Lefebvre, a world-renowned expert in animal behavior, describes the remarkable innovations and problem-solving abilities of species often dismissed as "featherbrains." From crows using cars as nutcrackers to cockatoos crafting tools, Lefebvre reveals how birds exhibit creativity, social learning, and even cultural transmission—traits once thought to be exclusive to humans and other primates.
Blending his decades of scientific research with engaging anecdotes, Lefebvre examines the evolutionary forces that have shaped avian intelligence. He explores how birds adapt to urban environments, innovate in response to challenges, and pass down knowledge across generations. This goldmine of bird behavior yields an "innovation quotient" (like our human IQ) widely used by researchers to measure and rank how innovative a bird species is. Using his encyclopedic knowledge, Lefebvre answers questions such as:
When a bird species learns a new technique, how do their innovations spread?
Why is research on bird cognition being used to train AI models and even robots?
What makes certain birds endlessly innovative while others stubbornly repeat the same behaviors?
With vivid storytelling and groundbreaking insights, A Bird's IQ invites readers to reconsider their perceptions, celebrating the ingenuity of birds and highlighting the interconnectedness of all intelligent life.
Contents
INTRODUCTION: NAKED APES, FEATHERLESS CROWS
1 BUT DO THEY HAVE A CULTURE?
2 BULLFINCHES, GRASSQUITS, AND DARWIN'S FINCHES
3 INNOVATE OR DIE: HOW IS INNOVATION SELECTED?
4 ONE INTELLIGENCE OR MANY?
5 CITY BIRDS
6 ON LAND AND WATER
7 KILLER INNOVATORS: RAPTORS
8 THE BIGGEST BRAINS OF ALL: PARROTS
9 INTELLIGENCE SUPERSTARS: CORVIDS
10 THE REAL BIRDBRAINS
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
NOTES
FURTHER READING
INDEX
