Palaeognath birds innovate to solve a novel foraging problem

Area of Science:

• Avian cognition
• Comparative psychology
• Evolutionary biology

Background:

• Innovation is a key metric of intelligence, extensively studied in Neognathae birds.
• Palaeognathae birds, a more ancestral clade, have been largely overlooked in innovation research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate technical innovation in palaeognath birds for the first time.
• To assess the cognitive flexibility of palaeognaths using a novel problem-solving task.

Main Methods:

• Nine individuals from three palaeognath species (emus, rheas, ostriches) were tested on a task requiring them to move a hole towards a food reward.
• The task differed from traditional puzzle-boxes by requiring movement of the aperture, not removal of an obstacle.

Main Results:

• Three emus and one rhea exhibited wheel-turning innovation, efficiently moving the hole closer to food in 90% of trials.
• One rhea displayed a second innovation by dismantling the task (removing a bolt), though this behavior ceased upon adopting the wheel-turning solution.
• Ostriches did not demonstrate innovation.

Conclusions:

• Palaeognath innovation appears to be low-level, driven by exploration and trial-and-error learning.
• Technical innovation may have evolved much earlier in birds than previously hypothesized.
• Palaeognath birds represent a promising group for future cognitive research.