Crows are known for their ability to solve complex problems, use tools, plan ahead and perform numerical tasks. New research suggests that their intelligence is also linked to the remarkable speed of their brains when processing visual information.
In a study from the University of Tübingen, published in Science, two crows were trained to complete a visual motion discrimination task. They watched a screen displaying groups of white dots moving in semi-random directions, with an overall tendency toward either the left or the right. The birds had to peck a target on the corresponding side of the screen.
The crows identified the average direction of the moving dots with almost perfect accuracy. They also made their decisions in an average of 235 milliseconds, approximately half the time required by humans and monkeys to respond to the same type of stimulus.
Researchers monitored the birds’ brain activity in the caudolateral nidopallium, a region that performs functions comparable to those of the mammalian prefrontal cortex, including executive control, impulse regulation and decision-making. The region began responding to the task after about 70 milliseconds, producing early signals associated with recognizing the direction of movement. Once activity passed a certain threshold, the crows made their choice and acted.
The findings indicate that crows make decisions through a process similar to that observed in primates, despite having a different brain structure and organization. According to the researchers, their speed may be an adaptation to their lifestyle: while flying, crows need to make precise decisions quickly, particularly when hunting.
Sources: Focus.it.