Male cockatoos keep the beat | Science News

Male palm cockatoos (Probosciger aterrimus) are known drummers. They fashion drumsticks from tree twigs and seedpods and use them to rhythmically tap hollow trees as part of an elaborate display to win over a female mate. A new study shows that the beats they generate share qualities with human music. Read more: Story and production by Helen Thompson Video by R. Heinsohn and C. Zdenek Citation R. Heinsohn et al. Tool-assisted rhythmic drumming in palm cockatoos shares key elements of human instrumental music. Science Advances. Vol. 3, June 28, 2017, p. e1602399. doi: