Random question: Lovebird Intelligence

[StaticMoot]

Not really a major question, but in my random musings while at work, I began to wonder exactly how smart Lovies are. Really, all parrots for that matter. In my research I found that Keas have an equivalent IQ to a 6 year old human. Has anyone found similar studies or facts related to lovies or tiels?

Thanks!

[thebubbleking]

All birds are different even if the same kind. my lovebird hen is the smartest of the flock in human perspective i would say she acts like a 5 year old most of my flock has the intelligence of a two year old (and the issues with pushing boundrys etc!) talking is not a sign of intelligence my tiel pohaku is my best talker and he is the forest gump of my flock lol

[bird-brain]

Usually smarter than I am! LOL But seriously, most literature will say a 3 to 5 year old child. I think there are some exceptions to the rule in both directions. Skye has always been exceptional while Tiger Lilly is just about as dumb as a rock and there are other bird slaves on here who have incredibly intelligent examples. My daughter's gcc is still young and doesn't talk yet but may be the most intelligent bird in this house and that is saying alot when you put him up against Skye bird.

I will say that my lovies with the exception of Cabo don't seem as intelligent as my larger parrots but I often wonder if that is my fault because I spend time differently with my smaller birds than I do with my larger birds. My larger birds want more from me and constantly show off for me. There is something to be said for a bird that shrieks and yells out to you that her brother just pooped in her water!

[love4birds]

I used to not think *too* much of their intelligence compared to my U2. But since I've started training them, I've realized how quickly they pick up new things, they really are smart! Yesterday was Day 2 of teaching Nin to how do the ring toss game, and he already knows the cue "hoop" means to touch the ring. Yesterday I challenged him by setting it on my flat palm (our visual recall cue) instead of holding it in my fingers. He was a little confused at first and jumped on my hand looking for his treat lol. But I repeated the "hoop" cue and he reached down and pick up the ring! This is only our second training session including this new trick. He picked up recall very very quickly too. Chewy my U2 is incredibly smart and shows it with her mimicking capabilities, but she does not pick up tricks near this quick. They are smart in different ways, but I do think small birds are underrated as far as their intelligence goes.

[linda040899]

It's my own personal opinion that parrot intelligence, as a whole, is seriously underrated! They are a lot smarter and pick up a lot more than we give them credit for. I see this over and over and over again with my own birds and it's always a challenge to keep up as a flock member.

[StaticMoot]

Well, I've read that scientists are having to rethink parrot intelligence as a whole now because they're starting to understand that their brains are wired so differently than primates. It is neat to see how quick they pick up on things or puzzle things out. I haven't had enough time with Ezio yet to really get a feel for his intellect, but I do know that he doesn't forget anything. He has a mild obsession with my playstation controller. If I move it and hide it, he can tell where I put it and exactly how to get to it!

Thanks for sharing!