A disabled kea named Bruce (aka Kati) has innovated a new way to keep himself clean using pebbles as tools, to overcome the missing top half of his beak. In 2013, Bruce was found as a juvenile by a researcher at Arthur’s Pass in New Zealand with the top half of his beak torn off. He was taken to the South Island Wildlife hospital to be nursed back to health and then moved to a large aviary at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, where he joined their flock of kea.
Even with his injury, Bruce was quickly accepted by the other birds and within a few days the keepers noticed the adults feeding him like one of their own young. The keepers also made sure he had access to plenty of soft foods he would be able to eat without needing to bite through or break down using his missing upper mandible.
Over time, Bruce learned to adapt to his injury by pressing harder foods up against the edge of the metal feeding platforms, and to manipulate various objects by holding them between his tongue and lower mandible. Then fast forward a few years and the keepers started to notice him doing something interesting and unique.
To help keep his feathers clean, Bruce would seek out small pebbles and roll them around on his tongue for a bit before holding it down under his tongue and sliding his feathers between the stone and his lower mandible, much like other birds slide their feathers between their own upper and lower mandible while preening.
A group of researchers from the University of Auckland observed this interesting behaviour and found evidence that it is a novel type of intentional tool use. They have published their findings in a new paper in Scientific Reports, “Self‐care tooling innovation in a disabled kea (Nestor notabilis)”
More info: nature.com
Bruce is a kea that is missing part of his beak, but has learned to use pebbles to help preen himself
Kea are a species of parrot that live in the mountains of New Zealand’s South Island
Bruce was found by a researcher in 2013 with an injury to his beak and bought to the South Island Wildlife Hospital.
To help keep clean, Bruce will pick up pebbles and hold them under his tongue while sliding his feathers between the stone and his lower mandible
Bruce has also learned to manipulate various other objects by holding them under his tongue, but he always chooses a pebble while preening
Most other kea are able to slide their feathers between their upper and lower mandible, and so have no need to do something like this, which is why it is so impressive Bruce was able to innovate this tool use all on his own
