Cognitive ecology of Goffin’s cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana)

The Goffin`s cockatoo (Cacatua goffiniana), is a species naturally only occurring on the Tanimbar islands in Indonesia. This species has exhibited astonishing cognitive skills in previous studies conducted in captivity, including the ability to flexibly manufacture and use tools for accessing food items. However, very little is known about this remarkable species in their natural environment. To reveal which factors contribute to the establishment of such `seemingly` sophisticated behaviours, we are planning to investigate the diet and behaviour of wild Goffins cockatoos in Indonesia. One reason for advanced cognitive abilities may be considered as relying on a great variety of food items, with some items being more complex to handle. By examining and comparing the relation of isotopes found in food items with the proportion of isotopes that are incorporated in feathers, we will be able to estimate the dietary composition of this species. Another factor contributing to advanced problem solving capacities may constitute experience gained through unrewarded object manipulations during object play. We will investigate precursors of functional behaviour in specially designed tasks to acquire a better understanding of how flexible tool use might arise from object play and possibly reveal the cognitive mechanisms involved. Finally, the abilities we have observed in captive situations may be promoted by spare time that otherwise has to be spent finding food or evading predators. Thus, we plan to directly compare how wild Goffin`s cockatoos fare in cognitive tasks corresponding to those conducted in captivity. If we find similar performances in wild living individuals, we might conclude that these capacities cannot be solely attributed to the captive setting. This project aims at integrating controlled laboratory experiments and fieldwork in order to establish a better understanding of the ecological circumstances underlying the cognitive processes of Goffins cockatoos. We believe that this approach can set new research standards and have a substantial impact on current hypotheses on cognitive evolution. Avian cognition in general is a relatively new topic within comparative cognitive research, contributing also to the fields of evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology, comparative psychology and ethology. Recent advances in this field have not only received large scientific attention but also gained great medial response, indicating a strong public interest. Therefore, we hope that the scientific interest in this species, as well as the planned public outreach, will ultimately benefit the conservation status of Goffin`s cockatoos and the environment they live in.

The Goffin's cockatoo is a parrot species, naturally only occurring on the remote Tanimbar Islands in Indonesia. While studies in captivity have highlighted remarkable cognitive capacities, such as tool-use, only little was known about their behaviour and ecology in their natural habitat. Such information is crucial for understanding the evolution of complex cognitive skills. Thus, the main focus of this Schrödinger project was to compare the behaviour of hand-raised captive Goffins kept in Austria and wild individuals, and a first investigation of the ecological factors that may have contributed to the evolution of their intelligence. To study the Goffins' natural behaviour and gain first insights into their feeding ecology, we observed them on a regular basis in the wild. Through these observations, we could identify a wide variety of partially seasonal fruit, seeds, and even hard-to-obtain resources (such as coconuts) as part of the Goffin's diet. Further, we found that these birds occupy nearly all available habitats on the island. Thus, we may conclude that wild Goffins have an opportunistic lifestyle that incorporates extractive foraging (obtaining embedded food resources), which was hypothesised to be one of the driving factors leading to the evolution of tool use. For more controlled and systematic observations, we kept a group of 15 wild-caught individuals in a large outdoor field aviary. Here we could record some of the basic phenomena influencing complex animal behaviours in greater detail. We were interested in how wild Goffins would react to novel objects and how their object play would differ from the hand-raised captive Goffins kept in Austria. Additionally, the field aviary allowed us to make an unexpected discovery - we observed that wild Goffins can also manufacture and use tools. Two individuals within the group began to manufacture up to three different types of tools to access the seed material of a tropical fruit. The use of a 'tool-set' (using multiple different tools to achieve one goal) is an example of complex tool use which was previously only known from primates. A further unexpected event was the encounter with a wild Goffin showing symptoms of PBFD (a highly contagious parrot-specific virus). In response to this observation, we restructured our project to assess the spread of this virus on the Tanimbar Islands. We found that the virus is present in the Goffin population and could confirm that infected individuals, who do not develop clinical symptoms, could shed the virus with good care over an extended period. This outcome has implications concerning managing of PBFD-infected parrots (especially endangered species) by providing a more favourable alternative to culling, given sufficient resources. Thus, we hope our results may guide future policies in response to dealing with such pathogens.