'Dumb birds' no more: Emus and rheas are technical innovators, say researchers

Big birds like emus are technical innovators, study shows

Large birds -- our closest relations to dinosaurs -- are capable of technical innovation, by solving a physical task to gain access to food.

Emus aren’t as ‘dumb’ as we thought

The Committe. Credit: Wendy Binks, Stunned Emu Designs Emus have a reputation for being “bird-brained”. In her art, Wendy Binks of Stunned Emu Designs captures that quirky, if vacant, look in their eyes. But, despite widespread assumptions about emus’ apparent lack of intelligence, very little is truly known about their cognitive abilities. Coming to the defence of emus and other large, flightless birds, a new study has found emus and rheas can …

Emus might not be the ‘world’s dumbest bird’ after all

Studying big birds might shed light on dinosaur behavior.

'Dumb birds' no more: Emus and rheas are technical innovators, say researchers

Large birds—our closest relations to dinosaurs—are capable of technical innovation, by solving a physical task to gain access to food. This is the first time scientists have been able to show that palaeognath birds such as emus and rheas can solve tricky problems.

Dinosaurs’ Closest Relatives Prove They Can Think—Study Finds “Dumb Birds” Are Actually Problem-Solvers

For years, emus and rheas have been dismissed as some of the least intelligent birds on the planet. But new research suggests they may be more innovative than previously thought. In a study published in Scientific Reports, scientists found that these large, flightless birds—among our closest living relatives to dinosaurs—are capable of technical innovation when faced with a challenge to access food. A New Perspective on “Dumb” Birds The research…

Writing Science, 20 Feb (EFE).- An experiment with ostriches and their Australian and South American relatives, emúes and ñandús, respectively, has shown that these large birds are able to devise all kinds of technical strategies to access food, being much more ready than the researchers thought. The conclusions of the study, led by researchers from the psychology department of the British University of Bristol are collected this Thursday in Sci…