The Impressive Intelligence of the Goffin's Cockatoo

You might think of birds as bird brained, but there are so many different types of bird that you cannot compare the smarts of, say, a chicken with a crow. Crows are pretty intelligent, and can use tools. But a particular bird of the species Cacatua goffiniana, also known as Goffin's cockatoo, pulled scientists into studying them. That was Figaro, who was clever enough to use a tool to get what he wanted. That put Figaro into a lab with other Goffin's cockatoos to see how good they are at problem-solving. The increasingly difficult tasks they solved surely made these birds regret the day they showed off in front of a human. Still, they proved they can figure out how to get what they want, up to a point. I was waiting for the cockatoos to attack the researchers for the ridiculous treasure hunts they forced on the birds. The subject matter is so wholesome that Ze Frank had to stretch to get any prurient jokes in here, but he managed it occasionally. There's a 70-second skippable ad at 4:30.