To this day, science has observed the use of tools in relatively few species of the animal kingdom. Among them are mammals such as chimpanzees, otters and dolphins; birds such as the Hawaiian crow, Egyptian vulture, and woodpecker finch; and even mollusks like octopuses. Due to this behavior, all of them are attributed a high level of intelligence.
According to a study recently published in the journal Current Biology , the latest species to make the list above is the Goffin’s cockatoo ( Cacatua goffiniana ). These parrots not only use tools in their daily lives, but it has been observed that they are able to create their own cutlery set. Traditionally, they have been considered very smart, and their intelligence level has been compared to that of a three-year-old adult. But what child is capable of building his own cutlery at that age?
Wild cockatoos are capable of creating a type of lever, an ice pick and a spoon to open one of their favorite fruits, the manga brava. For the first time in history, a bird has been observed following a specific order by creating and using a set of tools. A behavior only observed in humans, chimpanzees and capuchin monkeys. This discovery could support the theory that parrots have the ability to use their intelligence to find creative solutions to problems they encounter in nature.
Ecologist Mark O’Hara discovered this behavior by chance while conducting a study of captive cockatoos in Indonesia. “I had just turned around, and when I looked back, one of the birds was making and using tools … I couldn’t believe my eyes!”
After the first sighting, O’Hara and his research team returned to the Indonesian rainforest to study the event. However, after almost 900 hours of observation high in the trees, the behavior was not repeated. So the team decided to capture and study small groups of 15 birds in an aviary. But nothing, no matter how many different fruits they gave to the parrots, none of them made any tools. Luckily, everything changed when the season of the manga brava fruits arrived, fruits with a very hard skin. When giving them to the cockatoos, two males approached a nearby tree to tear up three types of branches, which would serve to open the fruits, pierce them and get their seeds out. As can be seen in the Science Magazine video.
Scientist O’Hara was surprised to see that not all birds knew the technique and hypothesized “If they had a genetic predisposition to use tools, all birds would,” says O’Hara. “Since only a few make them, they are more likely to invent them independently, ” he says, and that they learn to do it from each other in the wild by observing their peers.
References:
Wild cockatoos make their own cutlery sets. (2021). AAAS Articles DO Group. Published. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.acx8997
