Here’s this week’s Bird Doing an Amazing Thing:

calopsita bate o pé

Now, there are some particular things about his performance that merit attention, although it’s vital to add the caveat that we have no information on what sort of training or conditioning led to this behavior. First is the impeccable sense of rhythm, and second is the abstraction required to imitate the foot tapping. The bird has to understand, on some level, that his own leg is analogous to the quite different-looking and quite differently proportioned appendage of the gigantic creature standing in front of him, and that his movement of it should likewise be analogous. (This level of abstraction is hailed as notable when dolphins do it by, for example, waving a flipper in response to being waved at.) And third is the focused concentration he trains squarely on his owner; he seems to be paying attention and wanting to get the performance correct.

These, again, are just speculations and observations based on this one context-free clip. The behavior could be a result of simple operant conditioning, but there’s enough here to be intriguing. I still feel safe saying, though, that if the point of the creation of the universe was to lead to the existence of this cockatiel, then the universe was worth it.

Tags: Birds, Saturday Birds