Corvids and Psittacines: Is Their Intelligence the Result of Convergent Evolution?
Author: Daniela Gamez
Faculty Supervisor: Jaime Chaves
Department: Biology
Corvids and Psittancies are considered to be one of the more intelligent of the bird families we know of. The intellect of both Corvids and Psittancies has been the subject of many scientific papers, however, there is not much that compares the two on this topic. Their similar intellect could be the result of convergent evolution. In this paper, I aim to compare the intelligence of these two bird lineages by drawing on the results of scientific papers that study how these birds show intelligence. This paper defines their intelligence as their ability to solve puzzles quickly and efficiently. The results of my findings will indicate if these two families of birds’ intelligence are a case of convergent evolution that has not been studied as much. If this is a case of convergent evolution, this would open the door to further study of other aspects, such as their physiology, and genetics.