A Kind of Intelligence

    Humans like to believe that they are the most intelligent living beings on the planet. In certain areas we are, however what is our definition of intelligence, and who are we comparing ourselves to? Intelligence has been defined in many different ways including logic, abstract thought, understanding, self-awareness, communication and learning. At first glance it seams that humans are the smartest beings on earth, but what if we compare ourselves to the animal world? There are many things we can not do that other living creatures can. I'll use just one example, the bird. Birds are everywhere, the only place on Earth that birds haven't managed to colonize is the deepest ocean. We are definitely smarter than a bird right? If you said yes, the bird may not agree with you. If we were, we should be able to craft a perfectly sealed and water tight nest from a pile of grass, twigs and mud on the first try like a bird...right? Can we find our way home from a thousand miles away with no phone, no map, no GPS unit and without asking directions on the first try like a bird? Birds surely know how to survive in the wild a lot better than humans. They look after their eggs carefully, incubating them at the right temperature until they hatch, and never have to go through parenting classes or hospitals. If you ask me I'd say birds are pretty intelligent. Migratory bird species fly in formation to conserve energy -- much like driving in a larger vehicle's slipstream can reduce the amount of gas you require, some humans don't even know how to conserve energy. Humans have little understanding of this behavior, however migrating birds are thought to navigate using cues from the sun and stars, the earth's magnetic field, and probably also mental maps. Birds have tiny brains, but only in size. Their brains are actually proportionate to their bodies, very similar to humans. These small animals have not be able to get a degree at Harvard but, they definitely have intelligence, a different kind of intelligence. So you might want to think twice next time you call someone a bird brain.-BDB

Sources- (Google Images)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_vocalization

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homing_pigeon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_migration