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Published online 25 June 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.914

News

Birds that boogie

Online videos of 'dancing' cockatoos are not flukes but the first genuine evidence of animal dancing.

Philip Ball

When Snowball, a sulphur-crested male cockatoo, was shown last year in a YouTube video apparently moving in time to pop music, he became an Internet sensation.

Comments

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  • I feel that not calling this story "White Birds CAN Dance" was a wasted opportunity.

    • 25 Jun, 2008
    • Posted by: Ed Yong

  • Very interesting article! This opens up questions for further study.

    • 26 Jun, 2008
    • Posted by: Irena Schulz

  • I've had a Lesser Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo for nearly 30 years and indeed, sometimes he (it's a boy) also likes to dance, like Snowball. He's not quite as heavily rocking with his feet, but the rhythmic head-bobbing is there. There are some kinds of music he seems to like for dancing, like light but harmonious jazz, whereas other kinds only make him protest very loudly. Obviously, they do not only have the capability of reacting to music, but they are also able to develop tastes.

    • 26 Jun, 2008
    • Posted by: J Oliver Straub

  • Oh Gosh! I have to write about this to my friends. Even parrots like Backstreet Boys. Thanks a lot for this article!

    • 27 Jun, 2008
    • Posted by: Yulia Rudy

  • I hope that as we learn more and more about the richness of birds' lives, we respect them enough not to lock them in cages (or factory farm warehouses - chickens and turkeys are birds, too, and much smarter and complex than most people think).

    • 29 Jun, 2008
    • Posted by: Gary Loewenthal

  • "‘Snowball is better (dancing) than a typical 2-4 year old, but not as good as a human adult’, he says. (Some might say the same of Snowball’s musical tastes.)" wuahahahahahahaha!! I'm totally agree with that, there are much better music than "Backstreet Boys", maybe Bach?

    • 30 Jun, 2008
    • Posted by: Rodrigo Rivera Concha

  • This is all good and fine but can he Polka ?

    • 01 Jul, 2008
    • Posted by: Sir Aliput Duffwaddle

  • I have a Red Fronted Macaw that loves to dance to latin tunes. Posted by: Dave Duncan

    • 01 Jul, 2008
    • Posted by: Dave Duncan

  • Uh-oh, this is getting out of hand: http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-contests/bird-dance-off.aspx

    • 03 Jul, 2008
    • Posted by: Philip Ball