Least smart parrot species, on average?

[texsize]

I don't think Cockatiels are dumb or anything like that.

Cheeky was the last cockatiel I bought. When I brought him home I noticed he alone among all my Tiels would hold food in his foot when eating.
My other Tiels noticed this too and now all my Tiels eat food by holding it in their foot (something cockatiels are not known for).

 

[wrench13]

IMHO, there is no one species that can be said to dumber then others. Not true on an individual basis. Its the old bell shaped curve, just like with people. THeres the average intelligence, and there are individuals on either side of the average. In the wild, I wager the slow ones are eaten first and do not get the chance to populate the flock. So is it any wonder that birds in general are smart? THousands of generations where the dumber ones are culled and the smart ones breed.

 

[Truepacifist]

I think one of the reasons people think cockatiels are less intelligent is their appearance. They look like silly clowns with their pointy heads (dunce caps?) and bright orange perfectly round cheek patches (clown make-up)! It's hard to take such a goofy looking bird seriously. An African Grey wouldn't look like the sharpest beak in the shed wearing gaudy orange rouge and a funny hat either, would he? So let's not be so hard on poor cockatiels- it's not their fault they look so dumb!

I've seen cockatiels problem solving - my friend who has them sets up foraging puzzles for them every day, size appropriate ones for Greys. So maybe they don't seem as smart as they're not being appropriately challenged. If they don't have to think, they won't. But she's shown me videos of them doing the "cup" game where she puts millet under one cup and swaps it around a few times with an identical cup and they always get which one the food is under

 

[Birdmom2a2]

I've had parakeets, cockatiels, and love birds (as well as larger birds) and none of them were "simple." They were all smart and creative. In my experience, the smaller birds are easier and less expensive to care for. That said, small birds require just as much care as larger ones but they do seem to be less demanding. I believe any bird in a one-bird home requires a lot of attention from their human caretakers - at least that's my experience. I hope this helps.

 

[Truepacifist]

I've had parakeets, cockatiels, and love birds (as well as larger birds) and none of them were "simple." They were all smart and creative. In my experience, the smaller birds are easier and less expensive to care for. That said, small birds require just as much care as larger ones but they do seem to be less demanding. I believe any bird in a one-bird home requires a lot of attention from their human caretakers - at least that's my experience. I hope this helps.

Maybe smaller birds just reconcile themselves to neglect more easily. They rarely pluck. They just go into this weird catatonic trance and stay in one spot. That's what the lovebirds were like in a pet shop I visited. Completely still, so neglected They sort of shut down...