Parrots' Food-dunking Habit Sheds Light on Snack Preferences

Researchers at the University of Vienna have discovered that Goffin's cockatoos exhibit food-dunking behavior, similar to humans dipping biscuits in tea. The study found that seven out of 18 cockatoos dunked their food, with twice-baked bread being the most popular item. The birds showed a preference for wet rusk, suggesting that they dunked their food to improve its texture. The behavior requires impulse control and delayed gratification, highlighting the ingenuity of the birds in a food preparation context. This spontaneous foraging innovation has not been observed in the wild, making it a unique discovery in parrots.