An example of stereotypic behaviour in a Palm Cockatoo at the Albuquerque Zoo. While this head flip can sometimes be seen in playful cockatoos, this individual continued this pattern for over 20 minutes. This bird would also throw in some spins, toe tapping and wing flips.
@leebrown2007, unfortunately stereotypic behaviour is common in many captive animals- including our own pet dogs and cats. In many cases it isn't physically harmful, though it does prevent the animal from offering more productive behaviours. The people at this zoo are working very hard with this cockatoo to offer a more enriching environment to guide him towards more productive and natural behaviours like foraging and playing.
CanadianBirdNerd 4 months ago
That's sad :(
leebrown2007 5 months ago