Parrots in captivity have been reported to show dance behavior in response to music, which may involve complex cognitive processes including imitation, vocal learning and entrainment. Dance behavior in parrots may be indicative of a positive welfare state raising the possibility of using music as a form of environmental enrichment. In a new study, scientists studied dance behavior in cockatoos through an online video study and a playback experiment. From 45 online videos representing five different cockatoo species, they identified a total of 30 distinct dance movements, 17 of which had not previously been described scientifically.
Parrots have been anecdotally observed dancing to music in captivity.
Dancing results from complex brain processes including imitation, learning and synchronized, rhythmic movement.
Spontaneous dancing in time to music has only been reported in humans and parrots, although some wild birds also display rhythmic movements as part of their courtship displays.
However, what motivates captive birds to dance remains unclear.
In a new study, Dr. Natasha Lubke of Charles Sturt University and her colleagues analyzed 45 videos posted on social media (YouTube, Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram) that showed cockatoos dancing.
They identified a total of 30 distinct dance movements — 17 of which had not previously been described scientifically.
These newly-identified dance moves included headbanging, sidesteps and body rolls.
The researchers found that some birds also performed their own individual dance moves, often by combining several of the movements in unique ways.
Closely related species did not display more similar dances, and each species had a unique top 10 most common dance moves.
Illustration of the 10 most common recorded dance movements by cockatoos. Image credit: Lubke et al., doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0328487.
Next, the scientists investigated dancing behavior in six cockatoos from three species housed at Wagga Wagga Zoo in Australia.
They played the birds music, an audio podcast, or no audio, and found that all birds performed dance moves, regardless of whether music was being played or not.
They found that dancing behavior is present in at least 10 out of 21 species of cockatoo.
Cockatoos appear to display a wide repertoire of dance moves, many of which are similar to the courtship displays of wild parrots.
This suggests that their dancing abilities may have originated as courtship behavior that has been redirected towards their owners.
“By analyzing dance behavior of cockatoos from 45 videos as well as cockatoos at Wagga Wagga Zoo and Aviary, I showed that dancing behavior is more common in cockatoos than previously thought and was seen in 10 of the 21 cockatoo species,” Lubke said.
“My analysis also indicated that dancing is far more complex and varied than previously thought, recording 30 different movements seen in multiple birds and a further 17 movements that were seen in only one bird.”
“As well as supporting the presence of positive emotions in birds and advancing dance behavior as an excellent model to study parrot emotions, the work suggests that playing music to parrots may provide a useful approach to enrich their lives in captivity, with positive effects on their welfare.”
“The similarities with human dancing make it hard to argue against well-developed cognitive and emotional processes in parrots, and playing music to parrots may improve their welfare,” said Charles Sturt University’s Professor Rafael Freire.
“Further research would be beneficial to determine if music can trigger dance in captive birds and serve as a form of environmental enrichment.”
A paper on the findings was published online in the journal PLoS ONE.
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N. Lubke et al. 2025. Dance behaviour in cockatoos: Implications for cognitive processes and welfare. PLoS One 20 (8): e0328487; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0328487
