Macaws and the Origins of Social Learning

Key points

In controlled experiments, blue-throated macaws learned rare gestures more quickly and accurately.

This is the first evidence of third-party imitation outside humans.

It suggests that macaws and parrots may share learning abilities that support cultural transmission.

The findings point to imitation as a broader biological strategy for social learning.

Scroll through social media long enough and you will encounter them: macaws swaying to pop songs, flapping their wings as though swept up in the joy of rhythm. These clips are delightful because they seem so human. We are used to seeing animals reacting to stimuli, like dogs fetching or cats pouncing. But parrots appear to do something more: they join in. They watch, they follow, and they seem to understand the dance as a