Emotions and Intelligence of Urban Birds

Abstract

With the accelerating pace of global urbanization, urban birds have become a focal point in behavioral ecology and cognitive science, demonstrating remarkable cognitive behaviors and rich emotional expressions as they adapt to complex anthropogenic environments. This paper reviews research progress on urban birds across two dimensions: intelligence and emotion. Regarding intelligence, urban birds exhibit exceptional tool manufacture and use, multi-step problem-solving and logical reasoning, as well as robust spatial memory and social learning capabilities; these adaptive behaviors are key to their successful establishment in urban ecosystems. In terms of emotion, studies indicate that birds possess not only basic emotions such as joy, fear, and sorrow, but also potentially empathic capabilities. Their complex vocal communication systems further reflect a high degree of sociality. The article further explores the roots of the evolution of intelligence and emotional capacities in urban birds from three perspectives: evolutionary pressures, social learning, and brain structure. Understanding the emotions and intelligence of urban birds is significant for promoting urban biodiversity conservation and achieving harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.