News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on 'Birdbrain' Is a Misnomer. Crows Make Decisions Faster Than We Can. Parent comment

Re:'Birdbrain' Is a Misnomer. Crows Make Decisions Faster Th... by SoftTalker on Sunday November 15, 2026 @01:43PM (#50509479)
Given the tiny size of avian brains compare to mammals, particulary humans, it's hard to ascribe a lot of intelligence to them. But for what they can do, they seem quite well optimized.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:'Birdbrain' Is a Misnomer. Crows Make Decisions Faster Th... by misnome on Sunday November 15, 2026 @01:55PM (#50509569)
And that’s why Elephants are generally considered more intelligent than humans!
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:'Birdbrain' Is a Misnomer. Crows Make Decisions Faster Th... by fsiefken on Sunday November 15, 2026 @01:59PM (#50509614)
Brain size is not a decisive factor in estimating intelligence and corvid brains pack twice the neurons per volume compared to humans. The factor is: effective "Information Processing Capacity" (IPC), which is high for body size and rivals great apes on specific executive tasks.

Extreme miniaturization eliminates travel distance, giving near-zero latency and high metabolic efficiency despite 1/5th the neurons of a chimp.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:'Birdbrain' Is a Misnomer. Crows Make Decisions Faster Th... by leftbit on Sunday November 15, 2026 @02:03PM (#50509634)
Bird brains are wired differently, neuron density is higher... so size really doesn't matter.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bird-brains-have-...

[ Parent | on HN ]