Wild Goffin’s cockatoos flexibly manufacture and use tool sets

Mark O’Hara,Berenika Mioduszewska,Roger Mundry,Yohanna Yohanna,Tri Haryoko,Rini Rachmatika,Dewi M Prawiradilaga,Ludwig Huber,Alice M.I Auersperg

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.009

Mark O’Hara, Berenika Mioduszewska + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.009

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Abstract

The use of different tools to achieve a single goal is considered unique to human and primate technology. To unravel the origins of such complex behaviors, it is crucial to investigate tool use that is not necessary for a species' survival. These cases can be assumed to have emerged innovatively and be applied flexibly, thus emphasizing creativity and intelligence. However, it is intrinsically challenging to record tool innovations in natural settings that do not occur species-wide. Here, we report the discovery of two distinct tool manufacture methods and the use of tool sets in wild Goffin's cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana). Up to three types of wooden tools, differing in their physical properties and each serving a different function, were manufactured and employed to extract embedded seed matter of Cerbera manghas. While Goffin's cockatoos do not depend on tool-obtained resources, repeated observations of two temporarily captive wild birds and indications from free-ranging individuals suggest this behavior occurs in the wild, albeit not species-wide. The use of a tool set in a non-primate implies convergent evolution of advanced tool use. Furthermore, these observations demonstrate how a species without hands can achieve dexterity in a high-precision task. The presence of flexible use and manufacture of tool sets in animals distantly related to humans significantly diversifies the phylogenetic landscape of technology and opens multiple avenues for future research. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Highlights

Observing animals using tools is always appealing, as it places our capacities into context
We report the discovery of two distinct tool manufacture methods and the use of tool sets in wild Goffin’s cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana)
While Goffin’s cockatoos do not depend on tool-obtained resources, repeated observations of two temporarily captive wild birds and indications from free-ranging individuals suggest this behavior occurs in the wild, albeit not species-wide

Summary

Introduction

Observing animals using tools is always appealing, as it places our capacities into context. Not all tool use requires intelligence.[1] When studying tool use, it is crucial to distinguish innovative (spontaneously acquired, learned individually, or spread socially) from specialized (inflexible, species-wide) tool behavior.[1,2] Regarding the definition of tool use, a recent ‘‘tooling’’ framework provides a comprehensive description of tool use as a body-plus-object system that creates a biomechanical interface between a held object and the target.[3] It is a coherent ecological approach, where the presence of tool use is determined based on observable spatial relations between organisms and their physical surroundings. This approach has recently been proposed as suitable for comparing species abilities by providing a rigorous and objective framework.[4]

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