Birds that play are smarter than those that don't, new research finds SatSaturday 26 updated TueTuesday 29 Magpies engage in social play, swinging a juvenile bird. ( Share Print text only It's no secret that some Australian birds like to play. Now, new research has revealed birds that play together are actually smarter than those that don't. Key points: Birds that play are smarter than those that don't, according to the research Birds that play together are smarter than those that only play by themselves Gisela Kaplan, an emeritus professor in animal behaviour at the University of New England, has published a raft of books and papers on avian habits, and her latest research focuses on play behaviour.