Cockatoo bird surprises scientists - New Straits Times

LONDON: A cockatoo has surprised scientists when it was observed making and using tools to reach food, Xinhua news agency reported.

Researchers from University of Oxford and University of Vienna say a cockatooreared in captivity near Vienna was filmed using its powerful beak to cut longsplinters out of wooden beams in its aviary, or twigs out of a branch, to reach and rake in objects out of its reach.  

The cockatoo is a species of parrot not previously known to use tools.     Writing in in the journal Current Biology, researchers said the parrot named Figaro might be the first cockatoo to achieve this feat, but how it made the breakthrough is still unclear to scientists.  

"Figaro shows us that, even when they are not habitual tool-users, members ofa species that are curious, good problem-solvers and large-brained, can sculpttools out of a shapeless source material to fulfill a novel need," said Prof.Alex Kacelnik at Oxford University.  

"Even though Figaro is still alone in the species and among parrots inshowing this capacity, his feat demonstrates that tool craftsmanship can emergefrom intelligence not specialised for tool use," he said.   Prof. Kacelnik previously studied a crow named  Betty that could make hooksout of wire to retrieve food that was out of reach.    Although crows are known to use and make tools in the wild, there was no precedent for Betty's form of hook making.  

"We confess to be still struggling to identify the cognitive operations that make these deeds possible. Figaro and his predecessor Betty may help us unlock many unknowns in the evolution of intelligence," said Prof. Kacelnik.   -- BERNAMA