A new study has shown that the endangered New Zealand parrot, the kea (or kea), is smart enough to use touchscreens, but not able to distinguish between real and virtual worlds.
Six kea from Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch were taught how to use touchscreens by researchers. The tasks were either completely physical, entirely on screen or a combination of both.
Amalia Bastos is a PhD candidate at University of Auckland. She was also the study's first author.
Bastos hopes that the research will improve the success rate of the breed-and-release conservation program for the endangered parrot. Because they are so intelligent, it is difficult to keep them in captivity. Therefore, they must be constantly mentally stimulated to ensure their mental health.
Bastos stated that this requires zookeepers to give the birds fun games, but that they are very curious and will soon learn that humans are a good thing if they spend enough time with them.
The kea was named New Zealand's bird of the Year in 2017. It is an inquisitive, mischievous species that is known for its inquisitive nature and ability to steal passports from Scottish men. It is vulnerable to lead poisoning due to poor housing finishes and human interactions.
Bastos suggested that kea raised in captivity and provided mental enrichment via screens without human interaction might be more suitable to be released in the wild. She said that it is important to keep them out of human environments as much possible.
The birds' beaks, which are made of keratin, cannot activate touch screens. Researchers spread peanut butter on the devices to train the kea to lick them.
The team gave the kea a black ball and a seesaw. It tilted so that the ball fell into one or both of the boxes. In exchange for food, the kea was taught to track the ball and find the hidden box.
The task was then replicated on-screen using a completely virtual ball and boxes. Finally, researchers attempted to recreate the task using a mix of physical and virtual elements.
The kea believed a virtual ball would be contained in a real box, which suggested that the birds believed the on-screen event was continuing in the real world.
Similar tests of cognition in humans showed that 19-month old toddlers are able to distinguish between real and virtual worlds. They also don't expect events to cross between them.
Bastos stated that infants younger than 6 months might be more like kea and may think it is continuous.
The peer-reviewed journal Biology Letters published the study.
The University of Auckland has done research on Bruce, an elderly kea with a damaged facial beak who learned to use pebbles to groom himself.
