“Knife”, “wedge” and “spoon”: Researchers have observed the use of up to three self-made tools in wild Goffink cockatoos. The clever birds use them one after the other to get the seeds of a tropical fruit. Such a complex tool use was previously only known from primates in the wild, say the scientists.
Sharp mind in feathered heads: Many studies have already proven the amazing cognitive abilities of the Goffink’s cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana). While other animals have produced adaptations such as a long tongue, proboscis or specialized beaks, the secret to the success of these parrots is their powerful brain – similar to that of us humans. Investigations on Goffink’s cockatoos kept in captivity have already shown that they understand complex interrelationships and can make tools for themselves that are adapted to the respective purpose.
It stands to reason that these cognitive abilities arose because they offer birds a survival advantage in their generalist diet in the wild. This is exactly what the researchers led by Mark O’Hara from the Messerli Research Institute of the Vetmeduni Vienna have now been able to prove. For some time now, they have been studying the behavior of the Goffink’s cockatoos in their natural habitat on the Tanimbar Islands of Indonesia. One day O’Hara discovered the astonishing behavior: “I could hardly believe it! When I offered the cockatoos a certain fruit from the forest, one of them began to make a tool out of a branch. It was amazing how skilfully and competently the bird then knew how to use this tool, ”said the cognitive researcher.
Three tools lead to the goal
The team then focused on investigating the exciting behavior. “It is carried out quickly and dynamically, and it also seems quite inconspicuous, which is why it was almost impossible to observe it in the dense canopy. But we did have the opportunity to make detailed observations up close, as we kept a group of wild cockatoos in an observation aviary for a short time, ”says O’Hara. As he and his colleagues report, the food object in focus is a fruit that contains a hard-shelled core that contains the actual object of desire: the soft seed flesh. The observations finally made it clear that some Goffink’s cockatoos use different wood fragments one after the other, which they produce from branches in order to finally “spoon out” the seed material through a slot in the fruit stones.
“By analyzing the tools and the actions carried out with them, we were able to document that the Goffins actually use up to three different tools, each with a different function and also differ in terms of the method of manufacture,” says O’Hara. Specifically, the birds first use a thin and pointed tool such as a knife to open the protective cover around the seed. Then a thick piece of wood acts as a kind of wedge to widen the natural slot in the hard seed coat. This gives the birds better access to the seed material inside, which they then scoop out with the third element of the set. A larger and wider stick is used for this. “This Goffins tool set is reminiscent of the use of cutlery,” says senior author Alice Auersperg from the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna.
Individual intellectual performance
As the scientists emphasize, the use of such a “tool set” is significantly more demanding compared to using just one tool. According to them, correspondingly complex behaviors were previously only known from humans, chimpanzees and capuchin monkeys. “It is also particularly impressive that the Goffink cockatoos perform such masterful feats with incredible skill and great precision,” says co-author Berenika Mioduszewska.
The behavior is evidently not based on an instinct, but on the ability of each individual animal to understand complex relationships. Because not all Goffink cockatoos show the behavior, came out from the observations. “This fact is important because species-wide tool use may be more genetically anchored. If, on the other hand, only a few group members show such behavior, this indicates an independent development of individual individuals, ”explains Mioduszewska.
The study results now show that the complex use of tools and the associated cognitive performance did not only arise in primates. In doing so, they also shed light on the circumstances that can contribute to the evolution of intelligence and technologies in living things, say the researchers. “This discovery is a treasure,” O’Hara and Mioduszewska agree. It will be interesting to see what the scientists will find out about the feathered stars of cognitive research.
Source: Vetmeduni Vienna, specialist article: Current Biology, doi: 10.1016 / j.cub.2021.08.009