Just Like Humans, Cockatoos Prefer Flavorful Food! – DOGOnews
By Alvaro Aragon
– 327 wordsCockatoos are highly intelligent birds. Past studies show that they can solve complex problems, use tools, and even mimic human speech. Now, researchers have discovered that these clever birds have learned to dip bland food into sauces, possibly to improve its taste.Dr. Jeroen Zewald and his team at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna in Austria stumbled upon this behavior accidentally. They noticed two pet cockatoos dipping their food into blueberry yogurt during breakfast. Curious if the birds were intentionally mixing flavors, they decided to investigate further.The researchers conducted 14 tests with a group of 18 birds. Each 30-minute session included bowls containing either pasta, cauliflower, potatoes, or carrots. The birds were also given a choice of three dips — blueberry soy yogurt, plain soy yogurt, and water.The cockatoos showed no interest in the carrots and cauliflower. However, they enjoyed the pasta and potatoes. Nine of them even dipped them into the blueberry yogurt before eating. The birds especially enjoyed combining the blueberry yogurt with pasta. They dragged, rolled, and pressed the noodles into the yogurt, fully coating them. Since pasta is already soft, it ruled out the idea that the birds were trying to make it easier to chew. They also seem to prefer dunked food rather than yogurt alone. “The birds had a problem that their food was not tasty enough, and so they went to the yogurt, really dunked it in like we would with fries and ketchup, and then they ate it together,” said Dr. Zewald.The scientists published their findings in the journal Current Biology on February 10, 2025. Since only half of the parrots engaged in dipping, they believe this is a newly learned habit. It is unclear whether one bird taught the others or if each discovered it on their own. The team plans to continue observing the 18 birds. They are curious to see if the rest of the group starts dipping their food as well.Resources: CNC.ca, Phys.org, ZME science.comI’m pretty sure cockatoos are one of the most intelligent birds in America.Animals are interesting!I wish I had an animal that could talk to me!! 😃Same! I would actually love to speak to animals, share feelings and secrets, and be, like childhood friends with them!!Aw! They are so cute and smart! Crows are pretty clever too. Awesome!!so cool
I think cockatoos are smartThey can talk too, ya know. I’m a animal geek, SORRY.I’m one too, I can’t help but fall in love with animals! :)I think cockatoos might be my spirit animal 😂FIRST COMMENT!!!!! BTW Cool article Learn More © 2025 DOGO Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Source: https://www.dogonews.com/2025/3/3/just-like-humans-cockatoos-prefer-flavorful-food
