Provides a great capacity for learning. Very large optic lobes are present, associated with the importance of vision in birds. Spinal Cord - similar in structure to other tetrapods, cervical and lumbar enlargements associated with appendages. Smell - olfactory lobes are generally small and birds have a generally poor sense of smell. Birds have fewer taste buds than do mammals.
Many birds can sense oncoming storms and modify foraging behavior accordingly.
Pigeons and thrushes can select proper altitude for migratory flights, presumably this is true for other birds as well. Magnetism - birds can use information from the earth's magnetic field for navigation. External, Middle, and Internal. Overall, the range of optimal hearing in birds is narrower than that in mammals. Because of this they can capture prey by sound alone.