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.
A dirt parking lot at Bear Divide in the San Gabriel Mountains has become a hot spot for avian research projects, as it attracts as many as 13,000 tanagers, orioles, buntings, grosbeaks and warblers on a single day during their long-distance migrations along the Pacific Flyway. Scientists suggest that the topography has a funneling effect on birds during their journey. Researchers are trying to understand at what point in their journey do these mixed-species flocks of birds decide to pour through Bear Divide rather than fly over or around the mountains. The data gathered will help scientists better understand complex migratory behavior and upgrade conservation strategies at a time when climate change is upsetting the delicate balance between life-and-death conditions in ancient habitats.
