The ancient parrot that fashions musical tools and drums for territory

Nature · Published 19 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Few avian types are recognised for employing tools, with the palm cockatoo being a primary example. Beyond just cracking nuts, these birds fashion individual musical instruments—sticks and seed pods—to perform complex, personalized drumming displays that can be heard from 100 meters away.

Native to New Guinea, the Aru Islands, and Australia's Cape York Peninsula, the palm cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) is a massive parrot weighing between 910 and 1,200 grams. It is characterized by a powerful, sharply-hooked black beak and distinctive red cheek patches that change color when the bird is excited or alarmed. Because the upper and lower mandibles rarely touch, this bird employs its tongue to press a nut against the top part while the bottom section cracks it.

This bird is famous for its complex methodology of using tools. Males typically select sticks up to 2.5 cm in diameter and 15 cm long, or large seed pods, to drum against dead boughs. A 2023 study by Robert Heinsohn found that these birds fashion individual musical tools to produce highly personal rhythms and decorated patterns. While the exact purpose remains a subject of study, theories suggest the drumming allows females to assess the resonance of nesting hollows or serves as a territorial marker against other males.

Despite their intelligence, palm cockatoos face significant reproductive challenges. With a biennial production of a single egg, these parrots experience some of the lowest reproductive success rates among their kind. They rely on specific tree hollows created by a complex cycle of fire, microorganisms, and cyclones. In the wild, their survival is threatened by habitat destruction from bauxite mining and altered fire regimens, leading to their classification as Vulnerable in Australia and Near Threatened globally.

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