Birds are no strangers to dancing: For many species, dancing is a crucial part of attracting a mate. But dancing just for pleasure is a different story. And there's one bird in particular who knows it best.
Snowball, a sulphur-crested cockatoo, is one of the internet's favorite dancing creatures — and as it turns out, he's a choreographer as well. While many different animal species can dance, humans and parrots seem to be the only ones that invent "a diverse array of new movements," Gizmodo explained. Snowball's dances were analyzed as part of a new study published in the journal Current Biology on Monday, which concluded that parrots and humans have this one important thing in common.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Parrots are unique," said R. Joanne Jao Keehn, the study's lead author. And they could help us discover just why music moves us — human and parrot alike — to dance.
Read more about this study at Gizmodo, or watch Snowball's sweet moves below. Shivani Ishwar
-
The problem with diagnosing profound autismThe Explainer Experts are reconsidering the idea of autism as a spectrum, which could impact diagnoses and policy making for the condition
-
What to know before filing your own taxes for the first timethe explainer Tackle this financial milestone with confidence
-
The biggest box office flops of the 21st centuryin depth Unnecessary remakes and turgid, expensive CGI-fests highlight this list of these most notorious box-office losers
-
Key Bangladesh election returns old guard to powerSpeed Read The Bangladesh Nationalist Party claimed a decisive victory
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
EU and India clinch trade pact amid US tariff warSpeed Read The agreement will slash tariffs on most goods over the next decade
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
