Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Wild parrots copy their friends when deciding whether to try new foods,
study finds
We often learn new behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions by
observing and imitating others in a social context. For example, kids want to try
a new toy when they see other kids playing with it. Also, if there is a long
line before a food stand selling a novel food, more people tend to join the
line to try it. Such social learning, where animals acquire information,
behaviors, or skills by observing or interacting with others, is also common
among primates, marine mammals, rats and mice, dogs, and birds. Recently, researchers
left artificially dyed almonds to study the reactions of five distinct communities
of sulphur-crested cockatoos in central Sydney, Australia. It took a few days for
the parrots to try eating artificially dyed almonds they had never seen before.
However, it took only a few minutes or less for other groups of parrots to
start eating the novel food after they saw their peer parrots, which had eaten the
colored almonds before, eating them. Social learning seems to be a practical
skill for learning new things quickly while reducing potential risks.
Read the article and learn about how wild parrots learn what to eat
from others.
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