Popular Science: Clever cockatoos carry around toolkits
UC biologist explains how birds use tools to solve complex problems
Popular Science turned to a University of Cincinnati biologist to explain how some birds use multiple tools to solve complex problems.
Elizabeth Hobson, an assistant professor of biology in UC's College of Arts and Sciences, talked about the Goffin's cockatoo, a bird native to Indonesia that uses a variety of tools to pry open hard nuts or to reach food hidden in tree cavities.
UC Assistant Professor Elizabeth Hobson studies the behavior of bobwhite quail in her biology lab. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
In a study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna found that cockatoos presented with a problem in a lab setting could adapt tools to particular uses. In experiments, researchers gave cockatoos a pointy stick to pierce a paper membrane protecting a nut and a flexible straw to drag it to them through a narrow tube.
Perhaps not surprisingly, most of the birds easily succeeded in the timed trials.
In another experiment, the researchers gave the birds tools on one side of a flight cage that could help them solve a problem at the other side. The researchers found the birds simultaneously carried both tools with them to solve the problem and efficiently reach their food reward.
Hobson was not part of the study but has examined the complex social behaviors of birds such as monk parakeets and little blue penguins.
She told Popular Science that this kind of anticipatory thinking is an important skill birds use in the wild where they encounter challenging obstacles on a daily basis.
“It fleshes out more details about what the cockatoos are capable of in terms of tool use, and builds on recent documentation of tool use in this species in the wild,” Hobson told Popular Science.
Read the Popular Science story.
Featured image at top: A cockatoo carries two tools with it to solve a puzzle efficiently. Photo/University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
UC Assistant Professor Elizabeth Hobson spoke to Popular Science about the surprising problem-solving abilities of birds. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
Related Stories
Put down that beer; it's not a tanning lotion
July 1, 2024
The University of Cincinnati's Kelly Dobos joined WVXU's Cincinnati Edition to discuss what's fact and what's myth when it comes to sunscreen use, different kinds of sunscreen and a social media recommendation to use beer on your skin to help get a tan.
Meet UC’s Miss Ohio
July 1, 2024
UC biomedical science student Stephanie Finoti credits UC for helping to prepare her for the Miss Ohio Scholarship Pageant. She will represent Ohio in the national competition in January.
UC alum visits campus to teach students about footwear design
June 28, 2024
A 2011 graduate of design, UC alum Charley Hudak has seen his career trajectory go from intern to creative director for Tiger Woods' new athletic footwear brand, Sun Day Red. While he may run with the biggest cat in golf, Hudak doesn't forget his Bearcat roots and comes back each summer to teach youth about footwear design at DAAP Camps.
Cincinnati researchers want to know if MRIs can work better
June 28, 2024
WVXU and the Cincinnati Business Courier highlighted a new collaboration between the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, UC Health GE HealthCare, JobsOhio, REDI Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s to create an MRI Research and Development Center of Excellence located on UC’s medical campus.
UC opens Blood Cancer Healing Center
June 28, 2024
Media outlets including WLWT, Local 12, Spectrum News, the Cincinnati Enquirer and Cleveland.com highlighted the opening of the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center's Blood Cancer Healing Center.
Financial factors to consider when moving
June 27, 2024
Moving can be a stressful and expensive endeavor. When it comes time to move, there are important financial implications to consider, Gary Painter, PhD, the academic director of the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business real estate program and a professor of real estate, told USA Today.
New project aims to better support teen mothers in Adams County
June 27, 2024
WCPO highlighted a partnership between the University of Cincinnati and the Adams County Health Department that is aiming to provide better support for teen mothers in the county.
Free Wi-Fi, work area coming to Greater Cincinnati
June 27, 2024
St. Lawrence Park in Price Hill now has free Wi-Fi and a furnished outdoor space for community members to access digital needs. The space is part of The Nodes Project, which stands for “Neighborhoods of Design Engagement": a collaboration between UC DAAP communication designers and community entities.
Study aimed at reducing opioid overdose deaths presents results
June 27, 2024
The University of Cincinnati's John Winhusen and Caroline Freiermuth discussed the evidence-based practices implemented during the HEALing Communities Study to fight the opioid epidemic with Spectrum News.
UC alum credits journalism program with early success
June 26, 2024
Zachary Jarrell came to the University of Cincinnati in 2019 to pursue a degree in statistics. In 2023, he graduated with a Bachelor’s in Journalism. For many undergraduates, the journey through college rarely takes the expected track. Detours happen, and majors change. When plans switch up, it can be helpful to a student’s success to find support. For Jarrell, it was the people he worked alongside in the journalism department who helped him on his journey. It has left a lasting impression on his life so far, guiding him to multiple internships as an undergraduate, real-world experience in prominent news outlets, and eventually a successful career in the highly competitive field of journalism.