It is well-known that humans mix different flavors and textures to create more delicious food. Recently, research from Austria has discovered that some cockatoos also enhance the flavor of bland foods, making them easier to swallow. According to a report by the Guardian, researchers previously found that some birds dip bread or cookies in water before eating, similar to how some people dip cookies in tea. This behavior reflects a preference for softer textures.
The study's lead author, Jeroen Zewald from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, stated that the participating birds "found their food difficult to swallow, so they used yogurt as a sauce." They would indeed dip their food before eating it, much like humans do with fries and ketchup.
The research team noted that prior literature on animals flavoring their food was limited to one study from the 1960s, which found that Japanese macaques dipped potatoes in saltwater. Zewald and his colleague Alice Auersperg published their findings in the journal Current Biology, revealing that two Goffin's cockatoos observed during breakfast dipped boiled potato slices into blueberry soy yogurt.
Subsequently, they conducted 14 experiments lasting 30 minutes each, offering 18 cockatoos a choice between bowls of pasta and cauliflower or potatoes and carrots, along with dipping sauces like blueberry soy yogurt, plain soy yogurt, and water. The results showed that these birds did not dip carrots or cauliflower into any sauce; however, nine of the cockatoos did dunk pasta or potatoes into yogurt, showing a clear preference for blueberry flavor over plain yogurt.
This indicates that the behavior is not merely about changing the texture of food; rather, Goffin's cockatoos prefer to consume blueberry yogurt directly. The researchers emphasized that the birds were not dipping their food to make it softer since the offered food was already soft. Unlike previous observations where birds soaked bread in water for about 20 seconds, these cockatoos only dipped their food in yogurt for about three seconds, highlighting their intent to enhance flavor rather than soften food.
Further experiments indicated that the birds' preference for blueberry yogurt was unrelated to its color. This innovative behavior suggests advanced cognitive abilities in Goffin's cockatoos, showcasing their capacity to experiment with food combinations for improved taste.
