Are Parrots Smarter than Dogs? [Know The Truth!]

Dogs and parrots are two of the most favorite pets across the world. Both of them are companionship pals that are much-loved by pet enthusiasts. The parrots are famous for their vivacity and interactive nature. Besides, dogs are the absolute cuddle buddies that fill your life with love and joy.

Most people either prefer a dog or a parrot as their ideal pet as both of them are affable beings. Though dogs and parrots have diverse qualities; the comparisons are in the limelight. For ages, it has been a debatable subject who is smarter: parrots or dogs.

Are parrots smarter than dogs?

As per various studies, parrots are smarter than dogs. Alex, an African Grey outperforms the Chaser, a Border Collie on the basis of intelligence. The brain of a parrot is more intellectual than that of a dog. Yet the verbal ability of parrots to communicate would make them the smartest of all.

Which is the smartest parrot species and why?

The African Greys are the smartest parrot species in the world. As per a study by Harvard University, an African Grey Parrot has an intelligence of a 3-4-year-old human.

These birds can recognize shapes, identify colors, and whatnot. Besides, they can also communicate with their owners. Not only this, but these parrots can also learn many communication games.

Which ability of parrots makes them smarter than dogs?

There is no denying the fact that parrots can speak with more vocal efficiency than dogs. This trait of parrots helps them to communicate things in a much better way. Parrots can mimic the talking style of their owners and even learn a few words. Furthermore, the parrots might even rely on logical reasoning to locate food.

Yet the dogs either howl or bark to communicate things to their owners. If we compare the communication adeptness, the parrots would outshine the dogs.

How is the brain of a parrot different from that of a dog?

A bird brain has more neurons per centimeter than the brains of dogs. The parrots have denser concealing of neurons. Due to this, they have superior cognitive power. This assists the parrots in recognizing the faces.

It also makes it easy for the parrots to differentiate among the human voices. Besides, the parrots have a larger medical piriform nucleus. It plays an important role in passing on the messages between the cerebellum and the cortex.

There is a presence of consistent and large neural connectors in the parrot brains. It helps them to perform complex tasks.

For example, the parrots can even crack open the seeds with the help of their claws and beaks. Furthermore, they can even talk and learn to imitate songs. This is something in which dogs lag.

How are parrots superior to dogs when it comes to intelligence?

Though dogs are also amongst the smartest living species; they lack certain qualities. Dogs are attentive and have an excellent sense of smell than parrots.

Yet these potentials are not the only parameters of intelligence. But the question is on what basis one can conclude whether parrots are smarter than dogs. The parrots excel in the following parameters of intelligence.

Ability to talk like humans

Parrots are quite popular for their complex vocalization abilities. They have a syrinx which is present between the bronchial tubes and the voice box.

With the help of this, the parrots can produce sounds with either one or both sides of the syrinx. It can generate two tones of a similar frequency at the same time.

Besides, the parrots have thicker tongues and do not need lips to imitate human sounds. When the air goes through the syrinx, the parrots move their tongue.

By doing so, they generate sound in their throat and mouth. Moreover, certain factors affect the intricacy of the sounds that a parrot produces. These are the neck muscles, beak structure, and the length of the windpipe.

Sense of Hearing

The parrots’ sense of hearing is very sharp in comparison to dogs. With the help of this ability, they can imitate human speech with efficiency. Besides, these birds tend to pick up the tone. To generate the sound, they need to hear it on repeat in a similar octave.

The parrots can even pick up the shorter notes with more effectiveness than humans. They can even separate the sounds originating from the faster sequence.

Sense of Vision

Unlike dogs, parrots can see the world in all colors. Other than this, they can even see ultraviolet light. Due to this, the parrots can distinguish between their male and female counterparts.

It becomes easy for them to locate the bright objects that reflect the ultraviolet light. The daytime vision of parrots is far better than the dogs. This is because dogs can see in limited colors only. They perceive colors in the shades of blue, grey, and yellow.

Mental Enrichment

Parrots are more sociable and interactive than dogs. This helps in their mental enrichment. Besides, the parrots like to indulge themselves in a variety of brain-teasing activities.

They like to stay near the human traffic and try to imitate their sounds also. This ability sharpens their mind and makes them more active.

Small yet Powerful Brain

The brain of the parrots is more powerful than that of dogs. The genes that assist in brain development are like the genes of humans. Their brains are very efficient and perceptive. They have got abilities such as good adaptability, sociability, and verbal communication. Apart from this, they are also good at problem-solving.

Wrap Up

It is quite evident from the above facts that parrots surpass dogs when it comes to intelligence. Yet the African Greys can even permanence objects which is quite a rare ability. The best trait of parrots that makes them the smartest is their vocal efficiency.

Besides, they can even recognize human voices and pick up different sounds also. To conclude, the cognitive power of parrots makes them smarter than dogs.