Can endocranial volume be used as an estimate of brain size in birds?

Abstract

Endocranial volumes of vertebrate skulls and brain masses are often used interchangeably in comparative analyses of brain size. We test whether endocranial volume can be used as a reliable estimate of brain size in birds by comparing endocranial volumes with brain masses across 82 species using absolute values and with respect to body size. The results of paired tests across all 82 species and within two orders, Passeriformes and Psittaciformes, did not yield a significant difference between the two measures. These results were supported by correlational analyses that showed a significant positive relationship between endocranial volume and brain mass. Unpaired tests within short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) and paired tests within budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) also yielded no significant differences between endocranial volume and brain mass. Thus, a combination of interspecific and intraspecific comparisons indicates that endocranial volume does provide a reliable estimate of brain size. Although this may enable more rapid collection of avian brain size data, endocranial volume should be used with caution because it cannot account for seasonal and age-related variation and cannot be used to measure differences in brain structure.