Living In The City Makes You Smarter

“Scientists surveyed 82 species of passerine birds, including sparrows, pigeons and anything that perches, in and around 12 cities in central Europe. They classified the birds as those that breed in the heart of the city or those that avoid the hustle and bustle. And then they compared the bird brains. The results? Birds that prosper on the city streets have larger brains than their pastoral relations. So it seems that novel environments, including urban landscapes, may select for street smarts — at least for birds that flock toward the city lights.”
 — Huh. Well. This could reinforce some unfortunate stereotypes, I guess. It seems, according to Science, that birds who live in cities are actually smarter than ones who lives in the country. Or, at least, they have larger brains. City birds talk faster than country birds, too. Which makes sense. Still, smart and successful as they may be, and as awesome at ping pong as they are, I hate pigeons.