Using a dataset of brain sizes for 11,554 specimens from 1,931 bird species, researchers found that birds living on mid-ocean islands tend to have larger brains than their mainland relatives. Island environments are less predictable, with limited opportunities for species to disperse when conditions deteriorate. This may force individual birds to explore and rely on more elaborate problem-solving responses to survive, leading to development of larger brains over time.
Published July 31, 2018 11:00 EDT (News release from Nature Research Press)
Canadian co-author: Andrew Iwaniuk, University of Lethbridge – andrew.iwaniuk@uleth.ca
