Bird brain

"Among talks focusing largely on birds, Professor Giorgio Vallortigara from the University of Trieste in Italy (and an Adjunct Professor at UNE) discussed evidence that complex cognition in young chicks is, in some respects, on a level that human infants do not reach until they are four months old. Professor Nicola Clayton from the University of Cambridge described experiments indicating that some birds, in their food-storing activities, can actually plan for the future. Professor Gisela Kaplan from UNE, using the example of alarm calls and mimicry in Australian magpies, showed that vocal communication in birds may involve complex cognition. Talks by Professor Russell Gray from the University of Auckland, NZ, and Dr Nathan Emery from the University of Cambridge dealt with the ability of some birds to make and use tools. Cognition in primates was also discussed."
More: http://www.une.edu.au/news/archives/000781.html