Why do some birds dance?

Why do some birds dance?

Cockatoos perform 30 distinct dance moves and may combine them in unique ways

Captive cockatoos have at least 30 different dance moves in their repertoire, including headbanging and body rolls, according to a new study.

 The moves, of which 17 are newly identified, may be performed with or without music.

Several species of parrot have been anecdotally observed dancing to music in captivity. Dancing results from complex brain processes including imitation, learning and synchronized, rhythmic movement. Spontaneous dancing in time to music has only been reported in humans and parrots, although some wild birds also display rhythmic movements as part of their courtship displays.

Researchers analyzed 45 videos posted on social media that showed cockatoos (Cacatuidae) dancing. They identified a total of 30 distinct dance movements—17 of which had not previously been described scientifically. These newly identified dance moves included headbanging, sidesteps and body rolls.

The researchers found that some birds also performed their own individual dance moves, often by combining several of the movements in unique ways. Closely related species did not display more similar dances, and each species had a unique top 10 most common dance moves.

These birds weren’t just doing a side step or bobbing up and down. Between them, they had a rich repertoire of at least 30 distinct moves. Some birds coordinated their head bobbing with foot movements, while others undertook body rolls.

If we saw this behaviour in humans, we would draw a clear link between music and dancing and interpret the behaviour as enjoyable. After watching cockatoos voluntarily begin dancing for reasonable lengths of time, it was difficult to reach any conclusion other than cockatoos most likely dance because it’s fun.

Then the researchers investigated dancing behaviour  in six cockatoos from three species housed at Wagga Wagga Zoo in Australia. They played the birds music, an audio podcast, or no audio, and found that all birds performed dance moves, regardless of whether music was being played or not.

The study reveals that dancing behavior is present in at least 10 out of 21 species of cockatoo. Cockatoos appear to display a wide repertoire of dance moves, many of which are similar to the courtship displays of wild parrots. This suggests that their dancing abilities may have originated as courtship behavior that has been redirected toward their owners.

Interestingly, these behaviours are mainly recorded in companion birds. Music playback in the online videos does seem to encourage the bird to keep it going for longer than likely to be seen in zoo or wild birds. These dance moves might represent an adaptation of courtship display movements as a way to connect with their human owners.

Researchers define a behaviour as play if it meets four criteria: it occurs while animals are relaxed, it’s begun voluntarily, has no obvious function and appears rewarding. Cockatoo dancing would meet all four of these criteria.

As well as supporting the presence of positive emotions in birds and advancing dance behavior as an excellent model to study parrot emotions, the work suggests that playing music to parrots may provide a useful approach to enrich their lives in captivity, with positive effects on their welfare.

Illustration of the 10 most common recorded dance movements. Ethogram descriptors based on Keehn et al. [3] and illustrations by Zenna Lugosi. Credit: Lubke et al., 2025, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Dance behaviour in cockatoos: Implications for cognitive processes and welfare, PLOS One (2025). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0328487