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Cockatoos Learn New Foods by Watching Pals
1 May
Summary
- Cockatoos observe others to determine if unfamiliar foods are safe.
- In just ten days, 349 birds learned to eat new painted almonds.
- Learned behaviors and techniques spread between roosts across Sydney.
In a fascinating display of social learning, Australian sulfur-crested cockatoos in Sydney have been observed learning to identify safe, unfamiliar foods by watching their companions. This behavior, akin to 'monkey see, monkey do,' extends beyond primates and has been noted in various species like dolphins and crows.
Researchers conducted an experiment with 705 wild cockatoos, marking them to identify individuals. Two pairs were trained to eat almonds with colored shells. Subsequently, other cockatoos observed these trained birds and began consuming the novel food themselves.
Within ten days, nearly half of the observed cockatoos learned to eat the painted almonds. Crucially, they also copied each other's methods for opening the shells, with these techniques spreading throughout the city as individual birds moved between roosts.
Further observations indicated patterns in this social adoption; males followed other males, and younger birds were more hesitant than older ones. Understanding such social learning mechanisms in cockatoos could offer insights for conservation efforts for less successful parrot species.
