In the Tanimbar Archipelago in Indonesia, Goffin's cockatoos have been found using tree branches as cutlery to pry edible pits from sea mangoes, which, despite their outward resemblance to regular mangoes, have a bitter taste. The study of this phenomenon turned out to be very challenging, since Goffin's cockatoos, which tend to hide from people and choose difficult-to-reach places to live, are difficult to observe in the wild.
Researchers from the Vienna University of Veterinary Medicine studied these birds, which were caught in the wild and kept in a field enclosure. Dr. Mark O'Hara noted the high level of dexterity demonstrated by cockatoos in making and using cutlery.
The researchers provided a flock of cockatoos with tropical fruits that the birds would consume in the wild, and watched one of them use a branch as a tool to process a sea mango. According to the results of the study, two out of 15 individuals of the flock used "tableware".
Scientists classified "tableware" according to their purpose: strong, thick branches were used to break fruits, thin ones were used to pierce the shell around seeds, and medium-sized tools were used to extract seeds. It is important to note that this behavior is not instinctive, but learned, suggesting an inherent learning process in tool-using birds.
