Are Birds Self-Aware and Conscious?

Contrary to popular belief, new research shows that birds are not just smart but also self-aware and conscious.

Why Bird Brains Have Been Puzzling Scientists

Many believe that brains are incapable of thought, hence the popular idiom "Bird Brained". However, two recent papers suggest that we might have been wrong about birds all this time.

Recently, observations have shown that birds can understand abstract concepts, make tools, and even distinguish paintings. But because of the species lack of neocortex--an area in the mammalian brain responsible for memory, problem-solving, and planning---scientists have long been puzzled.

Researchers have located an otherwise unknown arrangement of microcircuits in avian brains. A separate study links the region to conscious thought. 

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What is Consciousness?

In simple terms, consciousness is individual awareness or memories, unique thoughts, feelings, sensations, and more. It refers to one's awareness of self and the world it inhabits that is subjective and unique.

Like many aspects of the brain, consciousness has multiple levels. The lowest being sentience or the ability to have a personal point of view. While the next is sapience, which is the ability to have a train of thought and form an option. Finally, self-understanding.

Are Birds Self-Aware?

Because of the similarities in mammals and birds' cognitive abilities, Martin Stacho, a neuroanatomist at Ruhr-University Bochum, investigated the avian forebrain that controls perception. 

Raw comparisons between the avian and mammalian brain suggest no commonality. However, in terms of cognitive skills, they are more alike than previously expected.

To better understand the avian brain and thought, Stacho with his colleagues studied a tiny slice of 3 homing pigeon brains via 3D polarized light imaging.

Using this technique, researchers observed and analyzed the circuitry of the pallium-- the avian forebrain similar to the mammalian neocortex. Scientists then compared the images with monkeys, rats, and even the human brain that led to a stunning discovery.

The analysis revealed that the fibers in avian pallia are organized similarly to fibers in mammal cortexes.

Researchers also visualized similarities among neurons in two avian species: owls and pigeons. After removing anesthetized birds' brains, researchers injected crystals into the dissected brains, which uncovered circuits in the sensory regions similar to the neocortex.

It is because of the connections between structures that birds are as cognitively talented as mammals, explains researchers in the paper published in Science.

Do Birds Have Conscious Experiences?

To better understand, Andreas Nieder, a neurophysiologist at the University of Tubingen, observed carrion crows as they responded to stimuli and cues.

Known as "feathered apes," this avian species is known for its intelligence. Nieder says that inferring consciousness from the experiment is challenging.

Together with his colleagues, Nieder trained two lab-raised carrion crows to stay still or move depending on cues displayed in a monitor. Positive behavior would be rewarded. As electrodes installed in the crows' brain record neuronal signals, the research revealed that neurons fired when crows reacted.

"An empirical marker of sensory consciousness in birds' brains," says Nieder.

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