The DOI matches its Crossref record; 132 of the 132 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Brains, Innovations and Evolution in Birds and Primates
Open accessAbstract
Several comparative research programs have focused on the cognitive, life history and ecological traits that account for variation in brain size. We review one of these programs, a program that uses the reported frequency of behavioral innovation as an operational measure of cognition. In both birds and primates, innovation rate is positively correlated with the relative size of association areas in the brain, the hyperstriatum ventrale and neostriatum in birds and the isocortex and striatum in primates. Innovation rate is also positively correlated with the taxonomic distribution of tool use, as well as interspecific differences in learning. Some features of cognition have thus evolved in a remarkably similar way in primates and at least six phyletically-independent avian lineages. In birds, innovation rate is associated with the ability of species to deal with seasonal changes in the environment and to establish themselves in new regions, and it also appears to be related to the rate at which lineages diversify. Innovation rate provides a useful tool to quantify inter-taxon differences in cognition and to test classic hypotheses regarding the evolution of the brain.
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“Among birds, those that are larger-brained (corvids, parrots and owls) are also considered the most intelligent (Lefebvre et al., 2004).”
From The human brain in numbers: a linearly scaled-up primate brain (2009) · cites this paper as Lefebvre et al., 2004
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“In contrast, the encephalization hypothesis argues that an increase in brain volume relative to body size was of primary importance (108, 110, 111, 123).”
From The evolution of self-control. (2014) · cites this paper as [110]
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Sol, D. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108564113.035
Self-citationBowerbird Innovation and Problem-Solving
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Lefebvre, L., & Audet, J. (2021) · Learning & Behavior · doi:10.3758/s13420-021-00493-2
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BackgroundSelf-citation(2010) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-373723-6.00018-7
(2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108564113.014
Rößler, T., Mioduszewska, B., & Auersperg, A. M. I. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108564113.038
Innovation and Problem-Solving
(2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108564113.034
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(2022) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108768450.019
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(2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780199546756.002.0003
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Maina, J. N. (2023) · Zoological monographs · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-35180-8_1
How hibernation in frogs drives brain and reproductive evolution in opposite directionsPreprint
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“Animals that can do this can be said to demonstrate a form of behavioral flexibility, a factor that is correlated with non-human intelligence (Bitterman, 1965; Lefebvre et al., 2004; Reader et al., 2011; Reader & Laland, 2002; Roth & Dicke, 2005; Shettleworth, 2009).”
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“While we fully agree that the latter metric is problematic, it has nevertheless been shown to correlate with various cognitive traits, particularly in birds (e.g., Audet et al., 2023; Iwaniuk, 2017; Lefebvre et al., 2004).”
Are innovative bird species more able to use edge habitats
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“Conversely, extensive studies of corpora of nonhuman communication (calls of nonhuman primates, cetaceans, avians, etc.), have thus far found none classified above the context-free tier [16, 20, 21, 57, 58, 67, 79, 101, 102, 105, 178, 183, 191].”
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“Across species, larger brains co-occur with higher rates of innovation and social learning, linking cognitive expansion to the demands of solving new problems (13–15).”
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“…with increased cognitive abilities in animals because of the increased cognitive demand associated with their implementation (West-Eberhard 2003; Lefebvre et al. 2004 ; Lang and Farine 2017), although this association is debated (Healy and Rowe 2007; Bailey et al. 2013; Tsutsui et al. 2024).”
Ecology and Brain Size Drive Feeding Innovations in Birds
Yating, L. I. U., Jiang, Y., Xu, J., & Liao, W. B. (2026) · Integrative Zoology · doi:10.1111/1749-4877.70182
THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF INDIVIDUAL VARIATION IN PARENTAL CARE BEHAVIOR
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Metadata
- Authors
- Lefebvre, L., Reader, S. M., & Sol, D.
- Affiliations
- McGill University (CA)
- Venue
- Brain, Behavior and Evolution
- Publisher
- S. Karger AG
- Published
- 2004
- Volume
- 63
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 233-246
- ISSN
- 0006-8977 (ISSN-L)
- 1421-9743
- OpenAlex
- W2112831044
- Cited by
- 666
- References
- 132
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 35 · 2021: 57 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 38 · 2017: 41 · 2016: 57 · 2015: 35 · 2014: 31 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 43
- FWCI
- 3.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Brain Behavior and Evolution (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior
- Keywords
- behavioral innovation, brain size, cognition, birds, primates, hyperstriatum ventrale, neostriatum, neocortex, striatum, tool use, learning, seasonal adaptation, range expansion, diversification rates, brain evolution, comparative cognition
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Birds, Brain, Biological Evolution, Primates
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