These Might Be the 10 Least Intelligent Birds in the World

Quick Take

• Some of the "dumbest" birds on this list have hidden survival tricks that would stump most predators, and looks can be deeply deceiving. See the broken-wing trick →
• The #1 least intelligent bird alive today is on the edge of extinction, a situation its own mating call is partly responsible for. Meet the kakapo →
• The ostrich head-in-sand story is wrong, and the real reason ostriches rank among the least intelligent birds is stranger than the myth. Debunk the ostrich myth →
• Scientists are actively trying to bring back history's most famous "dumb" bird, though the process raises a question no one has answered yet. Explore dodo revival science →

For the most part, people tend to pay attention to a bird’s intelligence only when the bird is very smart. However, what about dumb birds? You’ve heard that the ostrich putting its head in the sand is an idiom for avoiding a problem. We do say “bird-brain” as an insult because birds have small brains, but it’s not about a specific species. Let’s learn more about the birds that are thought to be least intelligent, and discover why they seem to rank so low on the IQ scale.

#10. Secretary Bird

The secretary bird is from Africa savannas. They look like one of the least intelligent birds because of their appearance. Even though they have a head that looks like an eagle’s head and legs that look like a stork’s, they are deceptively deadly to their prey. They have a dangerous defensive mechanism with their long, quick, powerful legs and sharp, clawed toes that can deliver a force of approximately 195 Newtons in just 15ms, which is equivalent to five times the bird’s body weight from a bird that weighs around 7.3 pounds. This ninja-like self-defense ability makes it difficult for venomous snakes to bite them before the snakes die from being stomped to death.

#9. Northern Fulmar

Northern fulmar parents seem like some of the dumbest birds. The northern fulmar only returns to land to nest on rocky ledges over the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans, where both parents take turns incubating a single egg and caring for the young until they fledge.

However, the chicks aren’t completely weak or defenseless. They have a part of their stomach called the proventriculus which stores rancid oil. If a predator comes too close or threatens them, they projectile vomit this oil which negatively affects the predator’s ability to hunt in the future. Predatory birds can’t fly after being vomited on, while foxes and other mammals get it in the face. Neither can remove it, so their prey can smell them coming.

#8. Ostrich

As mentioned above, we’ve often someone described as sticking their heads in the sand like an ostrich. It’s an idiom about avoiding a problem. People used to think they stuck their heads in the sand thinking predators couldn’t see them. In reality, the bird is likely a female using her beak to turn her clutch of eggs, because if she needs to escape from predators, she can run up to 43 mph, which is much faster than most predators.

There are more tangible reasons why we think of the ostrich as one of the least intelligent birds around, though. They have oversized eyes and undersized brains. We commonly believe that brain size should increase in proportion to the size of the animal to maintain and increase intelligence, but the ostrich has a brain that is smaller than its eyes.

#7. Turkey

Turkeys aren’t one of dumbest birds so much as the most confused. They have monocular vision, which means their eyes are on either side of their heads and they see different things from each eye. While doing so, they may cock their heads to one side.

However, that’s not the strangest part. When it rains, they stand open-mouthed and try to drink the rainwater, which they only drink when it’s falling from above them, and they can drown. The turkeys that engage in this behavior are affected by a genetic neurological condition called tetanic torticollar spasms. This causes their heads to rest on their backs with their beaks aimed toward the sky. It was first reported from a line of medium white or midget white turkeys.

#6. Emu

The emu has the reputation of being one of the least intelligent birds. They aren’t as bright as crows but are more so than turkeys, and yet they can be easily fooled. A human being threatened by an emu attack only has to hold a stick above their head to appear bigger. However, a recent report proved emus can actually figure out how to rotate a wheel to get food.

Some argue that their big eyes make them look silly and the flightless wings also make them seem unintelligent. Why have wings if they can’t fly? Emus’ wings, however, help them in other ways. They live in Australia, which tends to be very hot. The emu will use its wings to cool off, extending them out to allow air around their bodies. Their wings also help them run faster by aiding in balance.

#5. Cardinal

The cardinal is one of those common, everyday birds we notice but don’t think much of besides the colorful red feathers of the males. If you have cardinals flying at your home, you might think less of them. These birds fly into glass windows and sliding doors.

You might expect the cardinal to learn after the first time. However, cardinals are very territorial, and they are not self-aware enough to realize they are seeing their own reflection in the glass. A male cardinal may peck and slam into the glass until it can no longer see its reflection. You can help them by smudging the window with soap or closing the curtains to block its view.

#4. Killdeer

Killdeers are like walking billboards advertising their presence to predators. Their call is a shrill scream. If that wasn’t enough, they don’t have a flight instinct like other animals do. What they do with predators instead is stand while bobbing up and down. Plus, they build their nests on the ground.

However, that’s not all. The killdeer compensates somewhat with its protective behavior toward its young. When a predator is near the nest, the killdeer runs towards the predator screaming and pretends to have a broken wing. This leads the predator to believe it’s got a fast, easy meal so the killdeer can lead the predator away from its nest.

#3. Lilac-Breasted Roller

The lilac-breasted roller is the national bird of Kenya. Although it looks incredibly beautiful, it engages in behavior that makes it one of the dumbest birds in the world. For one thing, it builds its nest in impossibly high locations. It also gets killed by poachers and hunters because it stays in one place instead of flying away.

#2. Red-Necked Phalarope

The red-necked phalarope is native to Britain. While other phalaropes winter in the Arabian Sea after traveling from Scandinavia and Russia, this long-distance migrant breeds in the Arctic tundra and spends its winters in tropical oceans off the coasts of California down to Peru/Chile.

These birds are often said to be dumb because they have high-risk migration routes. They also swap traditional bird gender roles. The females are brightly colored, while the males are dull. Females aggressively fight for mates. then as soon as they lay the eggs, they abandon the males to find a new partner. These birds also spin in rapid circles on the water to create a whirlpool, pulling up insects and other small prey. They look like little feathery tops, which can appear silly.

#1. Kakapo

This exotic-sounding flightless parrot from New Zealand eats on the ground, and its breeding is triggered by masting events, when trees like the rimu periodically produce large quantities of fruit at irregular intervals. It has a high mortality rate in the presence of predators. Rather than running away per the flight instinct, the kakapo freezes on the spot.

The flightless bird that looks like an owl is surprisingly a parrot. The males have a loud, disturbing mating call that leads predators to their location. There are now less than 200 left in the world. The dumbest living bird in the world must be the kakapo, which, like the dodo, had no natural predators or threats on its population until humans arrived, so they never developed survival instincts.

The Bird-Brain Myth

Where did the bird-brain myth originate, given that so many birds have average or high intelligence? The problem with quantifying bird intelligence is that we don’t have standardized ways of doing so for all species. What we can do is compare the cognitive abilities of different birds based on the tasks they can do.

It is not true that the larger an animal is, the smarter it is. What matters is a proportionate brain-to-body ratio. Intelligent birds that can talk and learn to do tricks, such as parrots, have specialized brain structures that allow them to vocalize and mimic sounds. Those same structures also play a part in body movement.

The dumbest birds in the world have a reputation for being dumb in appearance, behavior, or both. The hierarchy of smart birds puts parrots and predatory birds at the top, several moderately intelligent birds in the middle, and the dumbest birds at the bottom. Some of the dumbest birds engage in risky behaviors or evolved without predators until humans invaded their isolated habitats. As you have seen, looks aren’t everything with regard to intelligence.

Is the Dodo the Dumbest Bird Ever?

The dodo is the name of an extinct species of flightless bird. It lived in the forests on the island of Mauritius. Although it was larger than a wild turkey, it was related to the pigeon. Becoming extinct in the late 17th century, the bird became a symbol of extinction due to the human invasion of its wild, isolated habitat.

The word “dodo,” named after the world’s supposedly least intelligent bird, became an English slang term for an unintelligent person. One of the theories behind its etymology is that it comes from the Portuguese word dodo, which means “fool” or “crazy.” However, the bird probably had as much intelligence as pigeons and other members of the dove family. It was considered the dumbest bird because we think it didn’t realize it was being killed, but it had no serious threats until humans, and it was impossible to fly away to escape.

Are Dodos Making a Comeback?

A group of scientists plans to recreate a version of the dodo by editing the genes from its nearest relative, the Nicobar pigeon. They have already successfully sequenced the extinct bird’s genome from ancient DNA. Next, they plan to remove germ cells from an egg of a pigeon, edit the genes to make them more dodo-like, and implant the cells back into a pigeon egg. This method has worked with chickens but has not been tried with other birds. If scientists do create a bird with genes like a dodo, it will have a rough life. It will have to learn how to survive without other members of its species to emulate.