Scientists have discovered smart birds that can solve puzzles (5 photos + 1 video)
Some bird species have amazingly developed intelligence. Recently, scientists discovered another bird species capable of solving complex problems - it turned out to be caracaras from the falcon family. According to the study, these birds are “no less intelligent than parrots.” 
Researchers from the Messerli Research Institute, Austria, decided to test how birds of prey would solve some complex problems - and were surprised by the results. Caracaras, falcon birds, were given eight puzzles to solve using food as bait, and they did it faster with each attempt. According to experts, this suggests that wild falcons are “no less intelligent than parrots.”
"It's absolutely amazing! We were shocked at how quickly they solved the problems. We've seen this kind of behavior before in wild birds of prey," said Katie Harrington, lead author of the study. 
The study was carried out in the Falkland Islands, where the southern mountain caracaras live. These birds are extremely curious, and are known for their habit of searching and exploring everything new. Although caracaras belong to the falcon family, their behavior is more reminiscent of parrots and crows. Having installed the puzzle in the birds' habitats, scientists began to observe their reactions. In one plastic box there were eight puzzles with different tasks: in some you had to open a door, in others you had to turn parts to get a treat. 
Surprisingly, the caracaras quickly understood what was happening and quickly solved all the problems. Each bird had only one attempt per day, which allowed the scientists to track how their reaction and intelligence improved. The birds were very interested in the new object: some loved solving problems so much that they happily ran towards the scientists every morning. Many of them tried to look at boxing from different angles: they squatted to look from below, or jumped on it from above. 
Having compared similar experiments with other birds, experts found that caracaras are not inferior in intelligence to parrots. They were even better at some tasks. The researchers hope the findings will help solve the evolutionary mystery surrounding avian intelligence. 
