Everyone sees the jungle – but you have 20/20 vision & a high IQ if you spot exotic bird hiding in the leaves in 15 secs

WELCOME to the jungle – where an exotic bird is lurking in this puzzling pic.

The challenge is to spot it in just 15 seconds…

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Your first clue is that it’s a parrot .

The well-hidden bird was captured among the dense green leaves and fruit by sharp-eyed snapper Gabriel Enrique in Venezuela .

It’s an example of how your eyes can play tricks on the brain.

Plus, it gives your brain a workout.

Puzzles that require people to use a range of cognitive skills – including spatial thinking – stimulate different parts of the brain, an expert told Reader’s Digest in May.

These include the logic-processing areas, said Marcel Danesi, professor of semiotics (study of signs and symbols) and anthropology at the University of Toronto in Canada .

Also, solving puzzles is actually good for your brain even when you’re feeling really stressed out, experts said.

“Working on head-scratchers can improve your mood, relieve stress, promote relaxation, and leave you with a sense of accomplishment,” they told the Digest.

“Puzzles can be a welcome distraction from other tasks and an opportunity to focus on a single activity,” added Alvaro Pascual-Leone, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School.

Have you found the secretive bird yet?

Another clue – possibly not that helpful – is that it is colored green, hence the reason it is so well camouflaged.

“Background matching is perhaps the most common camouflage tactic,” said the National Geographic .

By masking their location, animals can avoid the gaze of hungry predators.

For example, animals such as deer and squirrels resemble the “earth tones” of their surroundings, it added.

What are the benefits of solving optical illusions?

ENGAGING in activities like solving optical illusions and brainteasers can have many cognitive benefits as it can stimulate various brain regions.

Optical illusions make a little bit more sense when you learn that our eyes have very little to do with what we see and it is our brains that play the key role in creating images and trying to protect us from the potential threats around us.

Our brain is constantly trying to make sense of the world at the quickest pace it can despite the world being in 3D and the images on our retinas being in 2D.

It can be really difficult for your brain to interpret everything at once so it will often take shortcuts and give you a simplified version of what you see so you can have quicker reaction times if the object you’re looking at looks dangerous.

When you look at an object what you’re really seeing is the light that bounced off of it and entered your eye, which is converted into electrical impulses that your brain then turns into an image.

Our brains can warp straight lines if an object in the middle of them looks like it’s drawing closer as it wants to emphasize the potential threat.

Different colours and light and dark can make the same-sized objects look different or make patterned images look like they’re spinning.

Some benefits include:

• Cognitive stimulation : These activities challenge the brain, promoting mental agility and flexibility.
• Problem-solving skills : Regular practice enhances analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• Memory improvement: These challenges often require memory recall and can contribute to better memory function.
• Creativity: They encourage thinking outside the box, fostering creativity and innovative thought processes.
• Focus and attention: Working on optical illusions and brainteasers requires concentration, contributing to improved focus.
• Stress relief: The enjoyable nature of these puzzles can act as a form of relaxation and stress relief.

Last chance to find the parrot!

The answer is provided below, if you haven’t spotted the parrot as yet.

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And if you still want to test your observation skills, try this puzzle.

We’ve been watching athletes at the Olympics in Paris – but you have 20/20 vision if you see all four archers in 30 seconds:

In another Olympics-themed challenge, try to find the missing number in under 12 seconds.

There are various numbers in the rings.

Within each ring is a set of numbers with one missing from the green hoop.

And finally, sticking to the jungle theme, find the lollipop in this leafy scene in under seven seconds:

Were you able to solve them all?

Here are the solutions to see if you were right!