Cockatoos Have At Least 30 Different Dance Moves in Their Repertoire, New Study Shows

It has been reported that captivity parrots show dance behavior in response to music, which can involve complex cognitive processes, including imitation, vocal learning and training. The behavior of dance in parrots can be revealing of a positive providence state, which raises the possibility of using music as a form of environmental enrichment. In a new study, scientists have studied dance behavior in cockatoes thanks to an online video study and a reading experience. From 45 online videos representing five different cacatoo species, they identified a total of 30 distinct dance movements, 17 had not been described scientifically before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF7KQL3LSAM

The parrots were observed anecdotal dancing to music in captivity.

Dance results from complex brain processes, including imitation, learning and synchronized rhythmic movement.

The spontaneous dance in the time of music was only reported in humans and parrots, although some wild birds also display rhythmic movements in the context of their displays of nuptial parade.

However, what motivates captive birds to dance is not clear.

In a new study, Dr. Natasha Lubke of Charles Sturt University and his colleagues analyzed 45 videos published on social networks (YouTube, Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram) which showed dancing cockatotes.

They identified a total of 30 distinct dance movements – 17 had not been described scientifically before.

These newly identified dance movements included head heads, side passes and bodies rolls.

The researchers found that some birds also carried out their own individual dance movements, often by combining several of the movements in a unique way.

The closely related species did not have more similar dances, and each species had a most common top 10 of dance.

Illustration of the 10 most common recorded dance movements by cockatoes. Image credit: Lubke and al., DOI: 10.1371 / Journal.pone.0328487.

Then, scientists studied dance behavior in six cockato of three species hosted at the Wagga Wagga zoo in Australia.

They played The Birds Music, an audio podcast or no audio, and found that all the birds were making dance movements, whether music was played or not.

They found that dance behavior is present in at least 10 of the 21 species of cockatoo.

Cacatoos seem to display a large repertoire of dance movements, many of which are similar to the demonstrations of bridal parade of wild parrots.

This suggests that their dance capacities can come from nuptial parade behavior that has been redirected to their owners.

“By analyzing the dance behavior of the cacatoes from 45 videos as well as cockatoes at the Wagga Wagga zoo and the aviary, I showed that dance behavior is more frequent in the cockato than what we thought before and was seen in 10 of the 21 species of cockatotes,” said Lubke.

“My analysis also indicated that dance is much more complex and varied than we thought, recording 30 different movements observed in several birds and 17 other movements that have been observed in a single bird.”

“In addition to supporting the presence of positive emotions in birds and progressing dance behavior as an excellent model to study parrot emotions, work suggests that playing music for parrots can provide a useful approach to enrich their lives in captivity, with positive effects on their well-being.”

“The similarities with human dance make it difficult to plead against cognitive and emotional processes well developed in parrots, and playing music for parrots can improve their well-being,” said Professor Rafael Freire of the University of Charles Sturt.

“Additional research would be beneficial to determine if music can trigger dance in captive birds and serve as an environmental enrichment.”

An article on results was published online in the journal Plos a.

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N. Lubke and al. 2025. Dance behavior in cockatoes: implications for cognitive processes and well-being. Plos a 20 (8): E0328487; DOI: 10.1371 / Journal.pone.0328487