Sparrows, Problem Solving and Collective Intelligence

Researchers at the University of Pannonia, Hungary demonstrate how sparrrows solve problems more quickly as a group than as individuals [via scienceblogs]:

Liker and Bokony’s sparrow experiments are the first to show that large animal groups outperform smaller ones at problem-solving tasks where they have to invent new techniques. House sparrows are a good choice for a study like this. They are very social birds that live in flocks of anywhere from a few individuals to a few hundred. They are opportunists that use their relatively large brains to find food in all sorts of new environments.

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