If birds are the dumbest animals. How come they’re the only ones that talk?

[BigManSAB]

[FreyaRed]

Birds in general are intellectuals among animals, only higher mammals outperform birds but small rodents which are practically 80% of mammals are dumber than birds.
I remember reading a study about neuronal groups in different species. Neuronal cells are connected with axoms which build groups in different sizes. Humans and primates have such groups around 80k cells, pigs, dogs, cats.. around 60k, smaller mammals 40-20k. Bird have small brains, because they need to fly and big brains are heavy but their neuronal groups are compared to higher mammals around 80k cells.
To use more comprehensible computer analogy, birds have comparable CPU cores we do but much less of them.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

I’m gonna need you to expand on that more for me. Like, corvids and parrots carry intellect equivalent to small human children, same as dogs and cats. What scale are we using to measure intellect in animals here?

[Chazmatazz269]

I don’t think anyone is saying birds are the dumbest animals, but their ability to mimic isn’t a sign of intelligence either. Some bird owners and trainers have taught mimicry birds the meaning of certain words. It’s no different than teaching your dog to fetch its own leash, or the newspaper. More often than not though, “talking” birds are just copying things they’ve heard without any real understanding of the meaning behind the sounds they’re making.

[DryGermanGuy]

Ravens/crows are rather smart, actually.

[exitseven]

I imagine that fish are even dumber than birds.

[Anonymous]

You must be really bored.

[Anonymous]

Slow day at the office?

[Jeff51]

a lot of parrots are as smart as dogs.