England (Commonwealth Union) – The term birdbrain is often used as an insult to describe an unintelligent person. However, new research indicates that the Jay bird has intelligence coming close to that of humans.
Over the years there was much attention from across the world indicating that many types of birds having shown exceptional intelligence. New research by the University of Cambridge, has discovered that Eurasian Jays are able pass a version of the ‘marshmallow test’ which is a test gives the option of waiting to receive something that is more desired or receiving something instantly that is less desired, where those with the highest self-control also receive the highest on intelligence tests.
Self-control – the ability to hold off temptation in favor of a greater but delayed reward, is an essential skill that encourages better decision-making for future decisions.
Jays belong to the corvid family, generally referred to as ‘feathered apes’ as they rival non-human primates in their cognitive capabilities. Corvids store their food for later, indicating the need to postpone instant gratification to plan future meals. The research points out that this may have paved the way for the evolution of self-control for these birds.
The study was designed by comparing the intelligence of Jay birds with other birds, where Jays came out on top. Food was used to compare how each type of bird would take the instant reward.
First author of the report, Dr Alex Schnell of the University of Cambridge, Department of Psychology said: “It’s just mind-boggling that some jays can wait so long for their favourite food. In multiple trials, I sat there watching JayLo ignore a piece of cheese for over five minutes – I was getting bored, but she was just patiently waiting for the worm.” The jays turned away from the bread or cheese when it was shown to them, as if to get distracted from temptation. Similar behavior has previously been noticed in chimpanzees and children.
