Intelligence is adaptive in birds. Birds with bigger brains survive better in nature, are less likely to get shot, and are less likely to get killed in traffic. Here’s a figure showing the (negative) correlation between brain size and mortality - the fact, in other words, that larger brains mean lower mortality.
And it isn’t just birds…
According to a recent paper in Biology Letters, urban bees with bigger brains are better at adapting to urban environments. As the paper’s authors, Jose Lanuza and colleagues, note: “species with larger brains have enhanced behavioural plasticity, enabling them to confront and adapt to novel challenges.” Here’s the abstract, followed by a graph showing the key findings:
Even more surprising (to me), bees seem to understand the concept of zero. (!)
Bonus Bee Content: The video below seems to show a pair of bees collaborating to open a Fanta bottle…
TBC, I think it’s unlikely that the bees have really figured out how to unscrew bottle caps. But who knows? There’s evidence (see below) that bees can manipulate objects with a goal in mind – and can learn to do so by watching each other. So perhaps bees are smarter than we think!