Pigeons Capable of Solving Complex Problems

A new study has found that pigeons are capable of making logical decisions using problem-solving skills.

Researchers from University of Iowa and their colleagues tested the birds' intelligence by using a string task, which is a standard test of intelligence involving attaching treats to two strings. The test-taker needs to choose the right string to get the treat.

In the present study, researchers let pigeons peck at a touch screen that had virtual strings attached to boxes that either had a treat or not. If the pigeons pecked at the right string, the treat bowl would move closer, ultimately rewarding the bird.

"The pigeons proved that they could indeed learn this task with a variety of different string configurations-even those that involved crossed strings, the most difficult of all configurations to learn with real strings," said Edward Wasserman, Stuit Professor of Experimental Psychology and corresponding author of the study.

Researchers found that the pigeons chose the correct option between 74 and 90 percent of the time. The study also shows that the virtual string test, with its breadth and accuracy, is just as good as the real test when assessing a species' intelligence.

Videos of the test also show that the birds looked at the string while making the decision, showing that they were able to make connections between the strings and the treat-boxes, researchers said.

"We believe that our virtual string task represents a promising innovation in comparative and developmental psychology. It may permit expanded exploration of other species and variables which would otherwise be unlikely because of inadequacies of conventional string task methodology or sensorimotor limitations of the organisms," said Wasserman in a news release.

The study, "Pigeons learn virtual patterned-string problems in a computerized touch screen environment", was published in the journal Animal Cognition.