Curiosity of the day: parrot invented the original method of food production

Did not expect even the scientists.

Recently, researchers noticed that parrots cockatoos sometimes make and use special tools to reach food that is out of their reach.

At least learned one parrot. The Goffin cockatoo named Figaro, who was born and raised in captivity near Vienna, has surprised scientists that began to use its beak to break off long pieces from the wooden walls of the enclosure, or to break off twigs from trees.

Researchers from the University of Oxford and the University tively recorded on video, as a parrot cleverly manages to get their food. How a bird learned this way to get to the food, it is not clear, however, this phenomenon demonstrates how much we do not know about the evolution of innovative behavior and intelligence, said the scientists.

“We watched Figaro daily and noticed that he plays with small stones. At some point he accidentally dropped the stone outside the cell. After several unsuccessful attempts to reach it, the parrot followed a small twig and began to fish out a toy,” said Dr. Ellis Auersperg (Alice Auersperg), head of research at the University of Vienna.

To explore this behavior, we replaced the stone nuts and continued to shoot. To our surprise, the parrot did not go for the branch, and began to split off a sliver from the wall of the enclosure. He’s got himself a tool of the desired shape and size, so that it was possible to rake in the nut.

For scientists, this was a great opening that parrots are able to use tools, moreover, that they are even capable of doing them yourself. After Figaro began to get nuts with a twig or cod each time when scientists placed them outside the cell.

Almost every time the parrot was doing a new tool.

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