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November 06, 2012
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Parrot wasn’t supposed to make tools, but he did
Nov. 6, 2012
Courtesy of University of Oxford
and World
Science staff
A parrot determined to grab an out-of-reach pebble has figured out how to make tools to get it—even though parrots aren’t known to make tools in the wild, biologists say. Figaro retrieves a nut
with his own tool. Click here
for video. (Courtesy A. Kacelnik/Oxford U.)
For an animal to start making tools spontaneously when others of its species don’t is
almost unheard of, scientists say—and shows we still have a lot to learn about the wonders of the brain, animal or human.
The feat shows that “tool craftsmanship can emerge from intelligence not-specialized for tool use,” said Alex Kacelnik of Oxford University, a co-author of a report on the findings.
The parrot, Figaro, of a type called a Goffin’s cockatoo, was reared in captivity and lives near Vienna,
Austria. Figaro has now been filmed repeatedly using his powerful beak to pry long splinters off from along the edge of a wooden beam. He then uses the resulting stick-like devices as sorts of rakes, which he thrusts through a metal grating to pull in objects that he needs.
The process is often clumsy and slow, because there is no definite hook on the end of the tools, and that makes it hard to use them for pulling something inward. Nonetheless, with persistence, and only sometimes a bit of human help, Figaro makes it happen.
How Figaro developed this ability is unclear but it shows how much we still don’t understand about the evolution of innovative behavior and intelligence, the scientists said.
Their report is published this week in the journal
Current Biology.
Figaro’s skill came to the attention of scientists including Alice Auersperg of the University of Vienna. At one point during a daily session during which he was under their observation, “Figaro was playing with a small stone,” she said. “At some point he inserted the pebble through the cage mesh, and it fell just outside his reach. After some unsuccessful attempts to reach it with his claw, he fetched a small stick and started fishing for his toy.”
“To investigate this further we later placed a nut where the pebble had been and started to film,” added Auersperg, who led the study. “To our astonishment he did not go on searching for a stick but started biting a large splinter out of the aviary beam. He cut it when it was just the appropriate size and shape to serve as a raking tool to obtain the nut.”
“It was already a surprise to see him use a tool, but we certainly did not expect him to make one by himself. From that time on, Figaro was successful on obtaining the nut every single time we placed it there, nearly each time making new tools. On one attempt he used an alternative solution, breaking a side arm off a branch and modifying the leftover piece to the appropriate size for raking.”
“Figaro shows us that, even when they are not habitual tool-users, members of a species that are curious, good problem-solvers, and large-brained, can sculpt tools out of a shapeless source material to fulfill a novel need,” said Kacelnik. “Figaro is still alone in the species and among parrots in showing this capacity.”
He added that “after making and using his first tool, Figaro seemed to know exactly what to do, and showed no hesitation in later trials.”
Kacelnik previously led studies in the natural tool-using New Caledonian crows. One of them, named Betty, surprised scientists by fashioning hooks out of wire to retrieve food that was out of reach. These crows use and make tools in the wild, and live in groups that may support culture, but there was no precedent for Betty’s form of hook making. Her case is still considered a striking example of individual creativity and innovation, and Figaro seems ready to join her.
“We confess to be still struggling to identify the cognitive operations that make these deeds possible,” Kacelnik said. “Figaro, and his predecessor Betty, may help us unlock many unknowns in the evolution of intelligence.”
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A parrot determined to grab an out-of-reach pebble has figured out how to make tools to get it—even though parrots aren’t known to make tools in the wild, biologists say. To have an animal start making tools spontaneously when others of its species don’t is practically unheard of, scientists say—and shows we still have a lot to learn about the wonders of the brain, animal or human. The feat shows that “tool craftsmanship can emerge from intelligence not-specialized for tool use,” said Alex Kacelnik of Oxford University, a co-author of a report on the findings. The parrot, Figaro, of a type called a Goffin’s cockatoo, was reared in captivity and lives near Vienna. Figaro has now been filmed repeatedly using his powerful beak to pry long splinters off from along the edge of a wooden beam. He then uses the resulting stick-like devices as sorts of rakes, which he thrusts through a metal grating to pull in objects that he needs. The process is often clumsy and slow, because there is no definite hook on the end of the tools, and that makes it hard to use them for pulling something inward. Nonetheless, with persistence, and only sometimes a bit of human help, Figaro makes it happen. Researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Vienna filmed Figaro at work. How Figaro developed this ability is unclear but shows how much we still don’t understand about the evolution of innovative behaviour and intelligence, the scientists said. A report on the research is published this week in the journal Current Biology and an accompanying video showing the behaviour is available here. Figaro’s skill came to the attention of scientists including Alice Auersperg of the University of Vienna. At one point during a daily session during which he was under their observation, “Figaro was playing with a small stone,” she said. “At some point he inserted the pebble through the cage mesh, and it fell just outside his reach. After some unsuccessful attempts to reach it with his claw, he fetched a small stick and started fishing for his toy.” “To investigate this further we later placed a nut where the pebble had been and started to film,” added Auersperg, who led the study. “To our astonishment he did not go on searching for a stick but started biting a large splinter out of the aviary beam. He cut it when it was just the appropriate size and shape to serve as a raking tool to obtain the nut.” “It was already a surprise to see him use a tool, but we certainly did not expect him to make one by himself. From that time on, Figaro was successful on obtaining the nut every single time we placed it there, nearly each time making new tools. On one attempt he used an alternative solution, breaking a side arm off a branch and modifying the leftover piece to the appropriate size for raking.” “Figaro shows us that, even when they are not habitual tool-users, members of a species that are curious, good problem-solvers, and large-brained, can sculpt tools out of a shapeless source material to fulfil a novel need,” said Kacelnik. “Figaro is still alone in the species and among parrots in showing this capacity.” He added that “after making and using his first tool, Figaro seemed to know exactly what to do, and showed no hesitation in later trials.” Kacelnik previously led studies in the natural tool-using New Caledonian crows. One of them, named Betty, surprised scientists by fashioning hooks out of wire to retrieve food that was out of reach. These crows use and make tools in the wild, and live in groups that may support culture, but there was no precedent for Betty’s form of hook making. Her case is still considered as a striking example of individual creativity and innovation, and Figaro seems ready to join her. “We confess to be still struggling to identify the cognitive operations that make these deeds possible,” Kacelnik said. “Figaro, and his predecessor Betty, may help us unlock many unknowns in the evolution of intelligence.”