Birds Can Make Sticks to Play Drums

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A recent scientific research conducted by a team from some Australian research institutions has established that Australian male palm cockatoos, which are known to use sticks as sound-making tools to generate beats, "share the key rudiments of human instrumental music, including manufacture of a sound tool, performance in a consistent context, regular beat production, repeated components, and individual style".

This is a major discovery. Animals using/making tools is a rare phenomenon, and it´s usually linked to food-related activities. In this case, tool-assisted drumming serves a different purpose (maybe you guessed it...), namely impressing females for mating purposes!

What is really important is that, based on the analysis of over 131 drumming sequences produced by 18 males, it was established that each animal has his own beats. Hits occur at regular, nonrandom time intervals, with music-like patterns.

Sticks come from branches, and the birds trim them to a fixed size (about 20 cms). Interestingly enough, birds belonging to the same species but living in other areas don´t have the same musical skills.

Bottomline: Aussie birds are cool....