Why can some birds figure out how to get out of the garage the same way they went in (through the open garage door) and other birds, once in, apparently see only the glass windows as a possible escape route? Over the weekend I had to guide a female robin out past the windows to the huge garage door opening with a broom. Just now, a male cardinal went in and perched for a while and flew back out. Do certain kinds of birds understand and others not? Is it because of how they see things? Why can they only see the small spots of light and space and not the huge one? Or is it an individual thing?
Hmm in my experience cardinals are the avian airheads. They would routinely get stuck inside my pool screen at my old house, and even when I opened all doors they would sometimes take an hour or two to find the exits. Carolina wrens on the other hand had no trouble navigating in and out, including a whole brood and their parents once. [A local dog loved to crash my pool sessions with my own dog, and he would force his way in thru one of the screens]
So, yes, bird species can certainly differ in their problem-solving abilities.
Why shouldn’t birds exhibit a wide range of intellect, like any other creatures? If you put a random selection of humans in an alien environment, I bet they’d each learn to deal with that environment at different speeds . . . or some, not at all.
As an owner of birds for a couple decades now, not only does intellect and problem-solving vary considerably from one species to another, but individuals within each species also vary widely in intellect. You had a dumb robin and smart cardinal in your garage, that’s all.
Well, birds differ from humans in that there’s little specialization - each must possess the full range of bird abilities and skills necessary for survival. There’s also the point that for most species in the wild the mortality of first-year birds is high (typically over 50%) - which can be seen as weeding out those with any significant deficiency.
So at least among adult birds there are some reasons why the range of intellect might not be extraordinarily high.
I’m imagining a conversation between a couple of wrens, wondering about mammals, and why some seem to be pretty smart, and some not so much. Those humans over there can put out a feeder to attract deer, which then are easy prey when the hunter human comes around.
By the way, I’ve heard that jays and crows are the Einsteins/Hawkings/Turings of the birds.
Ok, so some birds are smart and some aren’t as smart. But what is it that makes the not-as-smart birds seemingly only able to see the contrast of the light coming through the windows, and not the light coming through the door?