Pioneering research on avian behaviour and cognitive neuroscience have highlighted that avian species, mainly corvids and parrots, have a cognitive tool kit comparable with apes and other large-brained mammals, despite conspicuous differences in their neuroarchitecture. This cognitive tool kit is driven by convergent evolution, and consists of complex processes such as casual reasoning, behavioural flexibility, imagination, and prospection. Here, we review experimental studies in corvids and parrots that tested complex cognitive processes within this tool kit. We then provide experimental examples for the potential involvement of metacognitive skills in the expression of the cognitive tool kit. We further expand the discussion of cognitive and metacognitive abilities in avian species, suggesting that an integrated assessment of these processes, together with revised and multiple tasks of mirror self-recognition, might shed light on one of the most highly debated topics in the literature—self-awareness in animals. Comparing the use of multiple assessments of self-awareness within species and across taxa will provide a more informative, richer picture of the level of consciousness in different organisms.

关于鸟类行为和认知神经科学的开创性研究强调，鸟类（主要是鸦科动物和鹦鹉）拥有与猿和其他大脑哺乳动物相当的认知工具包，尽管它们的神经结构存在明显差异。该认知工具包由趋同进化驱动，由随意推理、行为灵活性、想象力和展望等复杂过程组成。在这里，我们回顾了鸦科动物和鹦鹉的实验研究，这些研究测试了该工具包中复杂的认知过程。然后，我们提供了元认知技能在认知工具包表达中的潜在参与的实验示例。我们进一步扩大了对鸟类认知和元认知能力的讨论，表明对这些过程的综合评估，加上镜子自我识别的修订和多重任务，可能会揭示文献中最受争议的主题之一——动物的自我意识。比较物种内和跨类群自我意识的多重评估的使用将为不同生物体的意识水平提供更丰富、更丰富的信息。