Like monkeys, some parrots can swing back and forth from branches, but the difference is that parrots rely on their beaks. In some moments, the parrot looks like a street fitness expert who can hold a single bar in his mouth.

Although some parrot owners may have witnessed parrots chewing on poles and swinging forward, there have been few studies that have formally studied this phenomenon. A month ago, a new study analyzed this.

The study found that the beak of parrots, like the arms of primates, bears its own weight when swinging, playing a role in fixation and support. However, parrots regenerate energy more slowly than primates.

"In the parrot's case, this is basically using the feeding system to move, which is a fairly complex task from a neurological perspective," said paper author Edwin Dickinson (Edwin Dickinson) said.

"Head users"

The participants in the experiment were four pink-faced peony parrots (Agapornis roseicollis), also known as peach-faced lovebirds, peach-faced lovebirds, and love parrots. This kind of parrot is small in size, likes to interact with its companions, is friendly and approachable to people, and is also quite intelligent.

Pink-faced Peony Parrots are also called Love Parrots. Picture source: Charles J. Sharp

In the experiment, when they were placed on a hanging rod with a diameter of only 2.5 mm, They no longer stand to maintain balance as usual, but start moving from the bottom of the pole - biting the pole with their beaks while hanging in the air, then swinging their legs and body, and waiting for their feet to grab the pole on the other side of the body At this time, stretch your head forward and bite the pole again...and repeat this cycle until the end.

The birds were not trained or motivated, the researchers just left them there, and all four parrots moved like this.

The suspension rod is also connected to a load cell that measures the force exerted on the rod by the parrot's feet or beak. Using kinetic analysis and high-speed photography, the researchers compared the parrot's behavior with that of other animals. The results show that when the parrot only has its beak on the pole, its head plays a vital role, generating a positive force (support force) of almost 150% of the parrot's body weight. In comparison, it is very The force endured by the forelimbs of gibbons, which are good at hanging and swinging on branches, is about 170% of the body weight. This value for some other monkeys is about 130%.

In the front-to-back direction, the parrot bites the pole The thrust generated by the sloshing exceeds 50% of the body weight and exceeds the corresponding force generated by the primate forelimbs. In addition, the parrot's beak exerts almost twice the thrust of its legs, creating greater braking force. The researchers believe that this means that the parrot's behavior of biting the pole and swinging forward is a true beak-driven movement pattern, and its head and neck play a key role in supporting the body and generating thrust.

The beaks of birds are mainly used for eating and making sounds, but it is rare that they are used for action like this. The researchers believe that from a limb-loading perspective, it's quite remarkable that a parrot can bear the weight of its entire body with just its head.

The way primates such as gibbons hang their arms from branches and alternately swing forward is called "brachiation", where brachia means arm or upper limb. Now, researchers have created a new word based on the parrot's beak - beakiation, "beak action"?