3 News/NZPA: Kea even more cunning if they get a preview – study

A Japanese university professor has discovered that kea – New Zealand alpine parrots – are even smarter than previously thought.

The birds were able to solve complex problems, particularly if given time to ‘study’ the problems before solving them – until now, it was thought that their problem-solving methods were more haphazard.

An excerpt: (read in full here)

“The most challenging set-up involved two bolts blocking each other such that one needed to be slid open before the second would release.

“Mr Miyata, a psychology researcher, found that keas cracked this problem faster if they were allowed to study the set-up for a while before attempting to break it.

“When they had a chance to think over the set-up before tackling it, the birds corrected inappropriate responses more quickly.”