US EditionWild Parrots Copy Their Friends when Deciding Whether to Try New Foods, Study Finds
Researchers found 349 cockatoos across five Sydney communities adopted colored almonds after watching trained birds, showing social learning can spread new feeding habits quickly.
- A study published Thursday in PLOS Biology shows wild sulphur-crested cockatoos in Sydney learn to eat new foods by observing peers, with researchers from the Australian National University tracking more than 700 birds across five roosting communities.
- To test social learning, researchers trained four cockatoos from Balmoral Beach and Clifton Gardens to eat brightly colored dyed almonds, then introduced these novel nuts into the communities during 10 days of daily feeding sessions.
- By the end of the 20-day experiment, 349 birds were eating the almonds across all five communities. In one community without trained birds, adoption took four days initially, but after one peer began eating, other parrots followed within 10 minutes.
- Younger cockatoos proved highly conformist, copying the majority, while adult parrots relied more on social associates. Penndorf noted birds adopted similar nut-opening techniques as their peers, suggesting local traditions emerged within urban groups.
- This social learning strategy helps urban cockatoos adapt to changing cityscapes, according to Michael Chimento, a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. Experts suggest conformist behavior peaks when individuals need to acquire local knowledge quickly.
13 Articles
13 Articles
By Amarachi Orie, CNN. Children often mimic their friends' preferences for toys or clothing, while adults tend to adopt popular diets or lifestyles. Now it turns out that this kind of imitation isn't unique to our species, as wild parrots learn to try new foods by mimicking their peers, a new study suggests. Animals living in urban environments often encounter new or unusual resources, such as trash, trees in streetscapes, exotic plants, or inva…
Wild parrots copy their friends when deciding whether to try new foods, study finds
Human children often copy their friends’ preferences for toys or clothes, while adults are prone to jumping on popular diets or lifestyle trends. Now it turns out that this sort of imitation is not unique to our species, as wild parrots learn to try new foods by copying their peers, a new study suggests.
Cockatoos Mimic Peers to Sharpen Adaptation Skills, Study Finds
In a groundbreaking study led by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU), new light has been shed on how wild sulphur-crested cockatoos navigate the challenges of urban environments by socially learning which foods are safe to consume. This research unravels the sophisticated mechanisms by which these intelligent birds rely on observation and social connections […]
Madrid.- Wild parrots quickly learn to eat new foods by imitating the behavior of other members of their social group, which leads to the spread of knowledge about diet by the community, as verified by a team of researchers led by scientists from the Australian National University. When an animal finds a new food, it faces a dilemma: eating it and risking poisoning or leaving it and thus losing a resource that can be very useful. Parrots solve t…
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