The ability of cockatoos to combine tools

The use of utensils is rare in animals, especially if two elements are used at the same time. In a new experiment, the Tanimbar cockatoos, protagonists of the #Sciencetothebeasthave demonstrated their ability to use two simple artifacts, showing that this cognitive ability is not unique to primates.

After humans, chimpanzees (pan troglodytes) are the animals that use the most diverse range of tools. Among them stand out the sticks to capture ants and termites, and the stones to crack nuts, for personal hygiene and to communicate. Although this ability is rare in the animal world, these great apes are not the only ones to resort to various tools to achieve their goals.

In a new paper, published in the journal Scientific Reportsan international team of scientists conducted a series of experiments with Tanimbar cockatoos (goffinian cockatoo), known for their problem-solving abilities and their ability to use simple tools, such as sticks, to crack open the shells of nuts and seeds.

In this case, they used composite tools, drawing inspiration from sports such as hockey or cricket for the design of the study. Thus, scientists from the University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna (Austria), the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom) and the University of Vienna devised a game similar to Golf with a stick and a ball.

A game for cockatoos

The birds had to manipulate the ball through a hole in a closed box, and then use a stick to push it towards the side of the container where a trapdoor mechanism was activated. This, in turn, released a cashew nut for the bird. Three of the cockatoos figured out how to use the stick to get the ball into the right position to get the ball. reward, which demonstrates a high level of innovation on the tools.

“One of the most surprising aspects of the process was to observe how these animals each invented their own single technique to hold the club and hit the ball, sometimes with amazing dexterity”points out the Spanish Antonio Osuna-Mascarófrom the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna and lead author of the paper.

One of the birds, for example, handled the stick by holding it between its jaws, another between the tip of its beak and its tongue, and another with its claw. “Similar to a primate”, indicates Osuna-Mascaró. According to the researchers, these findings could shed new light on how our ancestors evolved the ability to design and use tools.

How children and birds use utensils

The research is part of a larger international and interdisciplinary project that compares the problem-solving and innovation skills of children with those of cockatoos.

“Although this study is the first to show that cockatoos can coordinate tools to solve a problem, it also feeds into our ongoing work with children.”He says Sarah Beck, Professor of Cognitive Development in the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham and co-author of the study.

“As tempting as it may be, it’s not just about seeing who’s more intelligent, but to compare such different species to understand how humans and some other species develop impressive technological abilities”he emphasizes.

In this way, children are very skilled with tools and technology in their daily lives, from spoons to tabletsbut little ones may struggle to come up with clever solutions to problems involving the use of tools. “In fact, children under the age of 8 have a hard time solving problems that cockatoos can control”Beck continues.

Therefore, knowing how animals use utensils is key to better understanding the evolution of technology. “Improving our understanding of the beginning of the use of complex tools is currently one of the objectives of our research team”concludes Alice Auersperg, another of the authors and director of the Goffin Laboratory at the Messerli Research Institute in Vienna.

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Reference article: https://www.agenciasinc.es/Noticias/Las-cacatuas-saben-combinar-herramientas-como-los-primates