A novel form of spontaneous tool use displayed by several captive greater vasa parrots (Coracopsis vasa)
(2015) In Biology letters 11(12).- Abstract
Parrots are frequently cited for their sophisticated problem-solving abilities, but cases of habitual tool use among psittacines are scarce. We report the first evidence, to our knowledge, of tool use by greater vasa parrots (Coracopsis vasa). Several members of a captive population spontaneously adopted a novel tool-using technique by using pebbles and date pits either (i) to scrape on the inner surface of seashells, subsequently licking the resulting calcium powder from the tool, or (ii) as a wedge to break off smaller pieces of the shell for ingestion. Tool use occurred most frequently just prior to the breeding season, during which time numerous instances of tool transfer were also documented. These observations provide new insights... (More)
Parrots are frequently cited for their sophisticated problem-solving abilities, but cases of habitual tool use among psittacines are scarce. We report the first evidence, to our knowledge, of tool use by greater vasa parrots (Coracopsis vasa). Several members of a captive population spontaneously adopted a novel tool-using technique by using pebbles and date pits either (i) to scrape on the inner surface of seashells, subsequently licking the resulting calcium powder from the tool, or (ii) as a wedge to break off smaller pieces of the shell for ingestion. Tool use occurred most frequently just prior to the breeding season, during which time numerous instances of tool transfer were also documented. These observations provide new insights into the tool-using capabilities of parrots and highlight the greater vasa parrot as a species of interest for studies of physical cognition.
(Less)
- author
- Lambert, Megan L LU ; Seed, Amanda M and Slocombe, Katie E
- publishing date
- 2015-12
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Animal Shells, Animals, Feeding Behavior, Female, Male, Parrots, Tool Use Behavior
- in
- Biology letters
- volume
- 11
- issue
- 12
- pages
- 4 pages
- publisher
- Royal Society Publishing
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:84951824328
- pmid:26673936
- ISSN
- 1744-9561
- DOI
- 10.1098/rsbl.2015.0861
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- eeb07cc5-2275-4e15-9095-c3dca4784711
- date added to LUP
- 2017-09-06 15:00:41
- date last changed
- 2024-05-26 22:21:54
@article{eeb07cc5-2275-4e15-9095-c3dca4784711,
abstract = {{<p>Parrots are frequently cited for their sophisticated problem-solving abilities, but cases of habitual tool use among psittacines are scarce. We report the first evidence, to our knowledge, of tool use by greater vasa parrots (Coracopsis vasa). Several members of a captive population spontaneously adopted a novel tool-using technique by using pebbles and date pits either (i) to scrape on the inner surface of seashells, subsequently licking the resulting calcium powder from the tool, or (ii) as a wedge to break off smaller pieces of the shell for ingestion. Tool use occurred most frequently just prior to the breeding season, during which time numerous instances of tool transfer were also documented. These observations provide new insights into the tool-using capabilities of parrots and highlight the greater vasa parrot as a species of interest for studies of physical cognition.</p>}},
author = {{Lambert, Megan L and Seed, Amanda M and Slocombe, Katie E}},
issn = {{1744-9561}},
keywords = {{Animal Shells; Animals; Feeding Behavior; Female; Male; Parrots; Tool Use Behavior}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{12}},
publisher = {{Royal Society Publishing}},
series = {{Biology letters}},
title = {{A novel form of spontaneous tool use displayed by several captive greater vasa parrots (Coracopsis vasa)}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2015.0861}},
doi = {{10.1098/rsbl.2015.0861}},
volume = {{11}},
year = {{2015}},
}