Cockatoos Pick Complex Puzzle Box Locks to Get Nuts

Posted on July 6, 2013

Scientists form Oxford University, the University of Vienna and the Max Planck Institute have discovered that Goffin's cockatoos (a species of Indonesian parrot) can solve complex mechanical problems. The research was published here in PLoS One.

The cockatoos were placed in front of a puzzle box that had a clear transparent door with a nut behind it. To get at the nut the cockatoos had to work their way through a series of five different interlocking devices, each one jamming the next along in the series. The cockatoos had to remove a pin, then a screw and then a bolt. They then had to turn a wheel 90 degrees and shift a latch sideways. One of the parrots, named Pippin, cracked the problem unassisted in less than two hours. Take a look:

The scientists found that once a bird discovered how to solve one lock they rarely had any difficulties with the same device again. The scientists argue this is consistent with the birds having a representation of the goal they were pursuing. After the cockatoos mastered the entire sequence the scientists investigated whether the birds had learned how to repeat a sequence of actions or instead responded to the effect of each lock.

Dr. Alice Auersperg, who led the study at the Goffin Laboratory at Vienna University, said in a statement, "After they had solved the initial problem, we confronted six subjects with so-called 'transfer tasks' in which some locks were re-ordered, removed, or made non-functional. Statistical analysis showed that they reacted to the changes with immediate sensitivity to the novel situation."

ANIMALS