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2w ago

Study Reveals 30 Distinct Dance Moves in Captive Cockatoos

Highlighting 17 previously undocumented moves, the study prompts investigations into cognitive drivers of cockatoo dance, with a view to enriching captive bird welfare.

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In a new study, a pink cockatoo performed 257 dance moves in sequence as researchers played a 20-minute loop of Avicii’s song "The Nights."

Overview

  • Researchers cataloged at least 30 discrete dance movements from 45 social media videos, expanding the known repertoire by 17 previously undescribed behaviors.
  • Dancing was observed in captive individuals of 10 out of 21 cockatoo species, showing that the behavior is widespread and not tied to species relatedness.
  • Experiments at Wagga Wagga Zoo demonstrated that cockatoos performed dance moves whether exposed to music, a spoken podcast or silence.
  • Some birds combined multiple moves into individual-specific choreographies, reflecting advanced imitation, learning and rhythmic synchronization.
  • The research team will now explore the motivations behind cockatoo dancing and assess whether musical stimulation can serve as enrichment for captive bird welfare.