WORLD NEWS
Goffin’s cockatoos stepped aside when their own bodies blocked a task
Birds stood on a small mat while trying to move an attached object, with conditions in which body weight did or did not block success.
They selected stepping off when their bodies were the real obstacle, adapting a body-as-obstacle test used with dogs and Asian elephants.
Different from a mirror
The species failed mirror self-recognition criteria yet solved this task, suggesting self-processing can contain distinct components.
Could it be simple learning
Control conditions reduced responses to the rope or mat alone, but sample and captive setting limit generalisation to all wild birds.
Why it matters
Tool use may require treating body position as part of the environment. The result adds a comparison point for avian cognition.
Next check
Other birds, devices and replications must test the pattern. Neural mechanisms and human-like self-consciousness remain unknown.
Primary source and independent checks
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