This Cockatoo Thinks He Can Dance

I had an umbrella cockatoo for about ten years (she now resides with her flock in a sanctuary). I was continually astounded at what a huge personality was contained in that tiny body. We vastly underestimate other creatures, I suppose so that we can think that we are superior and special.

You should check out : "Pebble, The Crazy Cockatoo" on Youtube, then you'll realize how smart birds are. also "Roku the Gold and Blue Macaw (Adventures of Roku) also on Youtube.. some real smart birds as opposed to some humans

haha, look at those bird brains in the background.

What's more surprising to me is that people thought animals didn't enjoy or hear music. We are animals after all, and it is speciest to believe ONLY humans hear and appreciate music.

this poor guy has been deprived of living in a complex and interesting environment where he can freely interact with others whom he chooses, and with environments that he can decide he likes..He is enormously bored. Please don't do anything with these birds other than support preservation of the forests where they belong..Every time I see some video like this I am overcome with sadness.

Snowball is one of my heroes, so is Lucy the Beagle who knows how to use a chair as a tool: https://youtu.be/_ym0rxisOpw .

When I was a kid back in the 1960's my parents got me a parakeet for my birthday. He used to make similar moves like this cockatoo when I put rock and roll music on. His funniest move was "head banging" to the music. And he would also chirp loudly. He was so entertaining.

I've played music with Bonobos on several occasions. From my experiences with them I think they are at the very least "feeling" the beat. It's hard to tell what they are hearing in terms of pitch and harmony but they love to participate with making music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQHJ8-J5nwI

This guitarist was astonished to see a line of monkeys listening to him play a fingerstyle arrangement of Lullaby of Broadway at a party for the Children’s Zoo. They were lined up on the big rock in the center of the pond from largest to smallest, and when I paused, amazed, the largest nodded to me in a “Don’t stop now” gesture. True story.

In the 1970s-80s I owned a shelter rescue cat we named Lurch. Lurch was an indoor-outdoor cat who could come and go in and out whenever he wanted. I was then, and remain, a huge David Bowie fan. Whenever I put Bowie on the sound system, Lurch--whether inside or outside--would come trotting into the room and sit and listen to the entire Bowie selection. When Bowie was through, so was Lurch, and off he trotted to do what cats do when we don't see them. I played Bowie for him as he slipped away to a place where I hope he eventually got to meet Bowie, sit purring on Bowie's lap and listen to "Low."

Many years ago I rescued a small parrot. He loved listening to the radio; in particular, I remember a Billy Preston song where Billy screamed after an instrumental intro - every time, the parrot would scream along at the exact right time.

America you have been served.

Snowball being right on the beat is amazing. But I found the ear-splitting volume of the music in the video borderline abusive, especially if these birds have sensitive hearing, which I would bet they do.

My dogs have always joined in with me when I dance to music. They’d sway, circle, and bark when I really get into a groove. They seemed to experience real joy with me when I’m at my freest while dancing about the house. I’ve also had a variety of birds over the years and one of my favorite memories is of “Ivan”, a parakeet I rescued from a neglectful owner in the 80s. He was chatty and sweet but always started really chirping and bobbing when “Men Without Hats” came on. We named him after the lead singer and he loved the whole “Rhythm of Youth” LP which my sisters and I played often after seeing them at a club in Hollywood. I had read that psittacines use vocalizations and movement to connect with their flock which was easy to see that for Ivan was us. Every time I come across the album in my collection, it’s that dancing green and yellow feathered friend I see in my mind’s eye. “We can dance it you want to, we can leave your friends behind because your friends don’t dance and if they don’t dance, well they’re no friends of mine.”

Buried in this story is the information that Snowball is at a rescue facility: "...called Irena Schulz, who ran the shelter where the parrot lived... Snowball's dancing ability was first noticed by a previous owner." This is the horrible tragedy of these exotic birds; yes, they are gorgeous, and very talented, but they aren't meant to be our pets. According to Wikipedia, Snowball was relinquished to Ms. Schulz by his 3rd owner at 11 years old. As charming as Snowball is, and he most definitely is, I fear that this update on his story will only spur more ill-advised adoptions that will fail one people realize how very difficult bird care can be, and how very long they live. Please do not print these stories without also emphasizing that exotic bird ownership is not a good idea.

The headline got it completely incorrect, the Cockatoo can dance and the researchers recently concluded what every Cockatoo already knew.

At the electric plant outside of Saigon was a pottery factory on a sloping hill. Somewhere near that was a flat area with a low, round hill, maybe 30’ high. At full moon midnight, a water buffalo bull ascended to the summit. Below gathered 60 cows. And then he sprung up on his hind legs and spun in one way then leapt onto his front legs and whirled the other way. Without pause he whirled and alternated hind legs and front while he spun. And down below 60 some females together swayed in ecstatic unison and mooed together. It was as if he were a rock star and they were ripping off their bras to toss on stage. Not long after I met a buffalo researcher who had spent 35 years in Nam studying them. He said 2 other men had told him of the exact same dance of bull on a midnight full moon atop a hill spinning and whirling fore legs and then hind, back and forth for 30 minutes with about five dozen females below swaying together in ecstasy and making orgasmic sounds. He said third time hearing of the same hypnotic dance under a full moon at the ascendant and now he would have to believe it. Wole Soyinka describes in a memoir a mourning circle dance around a crow or raven killed on a rural road. We backed out at Seward Park Seattle and killed a seagull. About 100 from across Lake Washington and nearby arrived to dance a circle dance around it and, to our astonishment, as many crows flew in from all directions and formed an outer circle and danced the opposite direction.

I'm more impressed that science know what the birds thinking!... Says so in the title.

Love it! That video made my day - what a hoot that Snowball is!

Why are we always so surprised when we discover that humans and non-human animals have similar behaviors? As Charles Darwin noted: "...difference in mind between man and the higher animals, great as it is, is certainly one of degree and not of kind.”

There is no cliche about music taming wild beasts. The quote the author is thinking of is "Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast" --William Congreve

Not only can Snowbird groove with the moves, he has impeccable rhythm and expression of style. I wish I could do half of his moves with my own body! What an awesome bird!!! .

Going back decades, I had a five CD rotating disc player, where the CDs where placed visibly and horizontally. I would place various CDs on the player. My cat would happily and gently swish her tail from side to side when classical music played, and would angrily swish her tail and stalk about when I played rock. She particularly disliked the Stones; one time, when a Stones CD was playing, she jumped up to the CD player and whacked the CD through the lid. Bach, not Mick was her Her Fluffy Fussiness' rule in our household.

I was housesitting for friends who had parakeets. I had gotten a new Artie Shaw CD in the mail and played it. Whenever "Besame Mucho" came on, one of the birds would start chirping merrily away, though not dancing.

In the documentary "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill," a parrot dances to a tune played on a guitar. I saw this charming film at a theater in NYC when it came out and embarrassed myself by laughing so hard that I couldn't stop even after the scene was over.

A cockatoo is a can do bird. Could run for prez. I saw a parrot in a documentary singing a romantic ballad of its own composition with great tender feeling.

Geesh ... no "study" was necessary. All these folks needed to do was ask anyone who lives with cockatoos. They love music, can dance, and enjoy singing along (albeit badly)! My macaw is a prolific dancer too ... though, she doesn't have all the moves of my cockatoos. And, here's fodder for another "study" - can a cockatoo feel embarrassed? Yep. If they miss a beat (dance right off the perch for reason of a bit too much enthusiasm), they absolutely show themselves to be embarrassed - head slung down, meekly climbing back up and sitting out the rest of the song..

I had a Westhighland Terrier, who recently died, that, as soon as she heard just about any music from Carmen, would flop in her back and gyrate, perfectly in time and beat with music and with largest grin you can imagine. Pure magic for both her and us. We recently owned a Westhighland Terrier, who, as soon as she heard just about any music from Carmen, would flop on her back and gyrate to the music, perfectly in time to the music. She had the largest grin on her face that one can imagine. Pure delight for her and us!

A little house I used to live in was perched on the edge of a pasture. At certain times, a handful of my neighbor's cows would meander towards the house until they were so close their heads would actually be up over the fence. And then they'd just stare at the house's two big picture windows. The only time they'd do this was when I was practicing my flute. When I would stop, they'd look around, like, well, I guess that's it. And then they'd turn and wander back down the pasture, munching grass along the way.

A young animal trainer was looking for fresh ideas so he stopped into a pet store. He noticed a bird with a large, colorful beak rocking out to the in-store music so he asked the owner what the bird was doing; "Why sir, he's a Toucan and he's dancing." "And what dance is that with all the kicking and such?" "Why, sir, he's dancing the Can-Can." The young man thought about that for a moment and then asked; "I wonder if I could train a pair of them to dance like that?" "Well sir, if one Toucan can Can-Can, can't two Toucans Can-Can, too?"

He’s a better dancer than half the guys I know.