So by some measures, yes, they may seem dim-witted. But in truth, they’re far more bookish than you might imagine. They’re handy with numbers, for instance, capable not only of counting (which, granted, a lot of animals can do, including bees) but also of grasping the arithmetic of loss and gain and learning abstract rules about numbers, abilities on par with primates. They can, for example, put images picturing up to nine objects in proper order from lowest to highest number. They can also determine relative probability. In fact, pigeons are better than most people—and even better than some
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Gee, no wonder Bert the Sesame Street muppet loves pigeons.
