Animals and Insects

These Percussive Cockatoos March To The Beat Of Their Own Drum

Palm cockatoos are the only animals besides humans to use self-made tools to drum.

These Percussive Cockatoos March To The Beat Of Their Own Drum
Laura Wolf / CC BY 2.0
SMS

The animal kingdom is full of great singers, but when it comes to drummers, it's a bit short-staffed.

Luckily, the sole percussionist in its ranks is still pretty impressive. The palm cockatoo is the only animal besides humans to drum with self-made tools.

The birds fashion sticks and pods into devices that they strike against hollow tree limbs.

And according to a new study, the beats are pretty unique. Eighteen cockatoos produced a total of 131 different drumming sequences.

Music Keeps The Mind Sharp — Even If You're An Animal In A Zoo
Music Keeps The Mind Sharp — Even If You're An Animal In A Zoo

Music Keeps The Mind Sharp — Even If You're An Animal In A Zoo

Smithsonian's National Zoo let its mammalian maestros play some musical instruments; it's a sensory experience they'd never get in the wild.

LEARN MORE

It's probably used for mating. Male cockatoos did nearly 70 percent of their drumming when females were nearby.

But if you want to catch a live performance, you'll need good timing. Researchers observed the birds drumming only about once every four days.