Playful behaviour could be why we’re so brainy
Though being called a birdbrain is insulting, birds can be quite clever which might be due to how playful they are.
Studies in animal cognition have traditionally tested the cognitive abilities of different animals by seeing how well they can use tools, birds included.
But, recent research published in Nature Scientific Reports suggests that the brain size of different Australian native birds might have more to do with their ability to play than knowing how to use tools.
In particular, scientists found that birds who played with others (called social play) had the largest brains relative to body size and lived the longest.
It also found that there was no significant association between tool use and brain mass, and that play behaviour could be a significant driver in how larger brains evolved in a number of species, including humans.
Research investigating the effect of tool use on brain size follows a classic theory called the “technical intelligence hypothesis”, which posits that humans and other animals developed larger brains because circumstances forced them to use increasingly sophisticated tools.
In this new study of 77 native Australian bird species found that there was no link between tool use and brain size or life expectancy.
Instead, different kinds of play were found to be associated with brain size, where birds that didn’t play at all had the smallest average brain size, followed by birds that played on their own, then birds that play with objects and birds that play in groups of two or more.
What does this mean for humans?
Though more research is needed to establish a connection between human and bird behaviour and brain size, both species have similarities in their stages of development, which could be significant.
Human offspring, along with offspring of great apes and other primates, develop slowly, have lengthened childhoods and play extensively, just like a surprising number of Australian antive birds.
While playing with others might just be a good way to pass the time, embracing our playful side could be a evolutionary driver for intelligence and a long life.