Scientists have observed a captive cockatoo make and use and tools in order to get food
Can parrots use tools in order to get their food? Scientists were surprised to observe that behavior in a captive cockatoo
The bird’s name is Figaro, and it is a Goffin’s cockatoo that was bred in captivity in Austria.
Researchers think that this is the first time a parrot has been documented using tools.
Figaro can break off splinters of wood from a beam to reach for food on the other side of a fence barrier.
After repeated tests, Figaro got better and more efficient at creating the tool, which shows problem solving capabilities, and an aptitude for learned behavior.
Professor Alex Kacelnik of Oxford University, an author of the study told BBC: "No-one has ever reported a parrot sculpturing a tool out of shapeless wood in order to use it later with great sophistication.”
Other animals have also shown tool-making behavior.
Chimpanzees were even observed making spears, and using them for hunting.
Crows use different tools like twigs and even their own feathers to reach for insects that are living inside of dead pieces of wood.