Birds' compact nervous system enables them to process visual information more rapidly than mammals. In a study using the random-dot-motion task, researchers at the University of Tübingen found that carrion crows solved the task using the same mathematical logic as primates, but did so twice as fast. The crows, which lack a neocortex, relied on the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL)—a brain region functionally equivalent to the primate prefrontal cortex but organized differently.
While primates take 410-600 milliseconds to respond, crows averaged just 235 milliseconds without sacrificing accuracy. Researchers recorded from 248 neurons in the NCL while the birds pecked at targets to indicate their decisions, earning mealworms for correct answers. The study shows that avian brains, which evolved differently over 360 million years ago, can achieve the same decision-making outcomes as mammalian brains but with a more efficient architecture.
Source: Ars Technica · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing