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It’s a birdie: Cockatoos learn to play golf holding ‘clubs’ in beaks

Daily Mail Reporter

COCKATOOS appear to be able to play golf, a study has claimed.

Austrian researchers wanted to test the extent to which the birds use primate-level tool-using abilities in a test inspired by golf. In the study, the birds used a beak-held stick to guide a ball to a collapsible platform to release a treat.

Dr Antonio Osuna-Mascaro, from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, came up with the idea. He said: ‘One of the most amazing aspects of the process was to observe how they each invented their own individual technique, sometimes with astonishing dexterity.’

Of the 11 cockatoos involved in the study, five managed to solve the golf puzzle, but six were unable to find the solution.

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2022-01-29T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-29T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://mailonline.pressreader.com/article/281887301699401

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