Conscious birds.
Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences November 13, 2025 Gianmarco Maldarelli, Onur Güntürkün
Evidence is growing that birds possess sensory and self-awareness and have the neural architecture that may be necessary for consciousness. Behavioral studies and recent neurobiological data are discussed in relation to three major theories of consciousness: the Global Neural Workspace Theory, the Recurrent Processing Theory, and the Integrated Information Theory. Although findings do not yet allow a strong conclusion, the neurophysiological and anatomical features of the avian brain seem to align with the prerequisites of the Global Neural Workspace Theory and the Recurrent Processing Theory to host consciousness.