A Bird's IQ

Discover the secret intelligence of birds, revealed by one of the world's leading researchers in avian innovation.

Surveying a wide variety of birds, including crows, finches, tits, and parrots, Louis Lefebvre, a world-renowned expert in animal behaviour, describes the remarkable innovations and problem-solving abilities of species often dismissed as 'featherbrains'. From crows using cars as nutcrackers to cockatoos crafting tools, Lefebvre reveals how birds exhibit creativity, social learning, and even cultural transmission—traits once thought to be exclusive to humans and other primates.

Blending his decades of scientific research with engaging anecdotes, Lefebvre examines the evolutionary forces that have shaped avian intelligence. He explores how birds adapt to urban environments, innovate in response to challenges, and pass down knowledge across generations. This goldmine of bird behaviour yields an 'innovation quotient' widely used by researchers to measure and rank how innovative a bird species is. Using his encyclopaedic knowledge, Lefebvre answers questions such as:

• When a bird species learns a new technique, how do their innovations spread?
• Why is research on bird cognition being used to train AI models and even robots?
• What makes certain birds endlessly innovative while others stubbornly repeat the same behaviours?

With vivid storytelling and groundbreaking insights, A Bird's IQ invites readers to reconsider their perceptions, celebrating the ingenuity of birds and highlighting the interconnectedness of all intelligent life.

'This book is a gem, witty, entertaining, insightful, and deeply informative—a must-read for anyone interested in birds or brains. I learned something new on every page and came away with a more profound understanding of birds and wonder at their astonishing mental complexity and capacities.'
—Jennifer Ackerman, New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Birds, What an Owl Knows, and The Bird Way

'A Bird's IQ is an amazing avian adventure. It provides the reader with gorgeous glimpses into the mysteries and magic of bird brains and behaviour, and in a way that integrates the author's passion and academic knowledge of the field, both scientifically and artistically. Like a profound magic effect, there are hidden gems on every page, tailored to both the general public and the in-depth expert. A page turner!'
—Nicky Clayton, Fellow of the Royal Society and Professor of Comparative Cognition, University of Cambridge

'With equal measures of joyful curiosity and scientific precision, A Bird's IQ maps the capacity of birds for discovery, innovation, and learning. You will never look at those featherheads in quite the same way again.'
—Candace Savage, author of Bird Brains