Dodos might have been quite intelligent, new study finds
Tuesday, February 23, 2016 - 14:00
in Biology & Nature
New research suggests that the dodo, an extinct bird whose name has entered popular culture as a symbol of stupidity, was actually fairly smart. The work, published today in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, finds that the overall size of the dodo's brain in relation to its body size was on par with its closest living relatives: pigeons—birds whose ability to be trained implies a moderate level of intelligence. The researchers also discovered that the dodo had an enlarged olfactory bulb—the part of the brain responsible for smelling—an uncharacteristic trait for birds, which usually concentrate their brainpower into eyesight.