Research demonstrates, for the first time, the involuntary imitation of intransitive actions in non-human animals.
The blue-throated macaw, a critically endangered parrot species, has shown the ability to automatically imitate intransitive actions—those that do not involve a direct object, such as flying or walking. Previously, this phenomenon had only been documented in humans. In a study conducted by an international team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, in collaboration with Loro Parque Fundación, scientists discovered that macaws involuntarily copy the intransitive movements of their peers. This finding highlights the extraordinary motor imitation abilities of parrots, in addition to their well-known vocal mimicry skills. The research further suggests that parrots may possess a mirror neuron system akin to that of humans.
The imitation of object-free, goal-less actions is a hallmark of human cultural evolution. Much of human culture relies on the transmission of technical skills, often associated with tool use. Another significant aspect involves learning cultural conventions, including the faithful copying of gestures or movements to reinforce social bonds and prosocial behaviors. Previous studies have shown that humans involuntarily imitate gestures—a phenomenon known as automatic imitation. Until now, evidence of such automatic imitation in non-human animals was limited to transitive actions (directed at an object), such as grasping, observed in dogs and parakeets.
At the Max Planck Institute facilities located at Loro Parque, Dr. Esha Haldar and her colleagues from the Comparative Cognition Research Group, in collaboration with Loro Parque Fundación, tested whether blue-throated macaws automatically imitated intransitive actions. In the study, now published in iScience, researchers trained the macaws to perform two distinct actions (“lifting a foot” and “spreading their wings”) in response to specific hand signals. The birds were then divided into two groups:
- Compatible Group: Macaws were rewarded for imitating the action of another macaw (the demonstrator).
- Incompatible Group: Macaws were rewarded for not imitating the action, but instead performing the exact opposite action.
The incompatible group struggled to suppress their automatic tendency to imitate the demonstrator’s action, making more errors and showing longer reaction times compared to the compatible group.
“These results are remarkable as they demonstrate, for the first time, the involuntary imitation of intransitive actions in non-human animals,” explains Dr. Esha Haldar, the study’s lead author. “In humans, this behavior is linked to neural circuits involving mirror neurons, which are activated both during observation and execution of the same action. While our study does not directly prove the presence of mirror neurons in parrots, it strongly suggests their involvement in motor imitation.”
“Parrots are ideal for studying imitation,” adds Dr. Auguste von Bayern, senior author of the study. “These highly social animals live in dynamic groups, known as fission-fusion societies, where individuals frequently form new subgroups. Automatic imitation of movements and gestures may facilitate the integration of individuals into newly formed groups and generally support social cohesion and bonding. Potentially, it could also aid the cultural transmission of group-specific behaviors. Further research is needed to explore these fascinating possibilities.”
The findings also underscore that motor mimicry has independently evolved in distantly related species, likely due to similar social and environmental pressures.
The blue-throated macaw is endemic to Bolivia and critically endangered, with an estimated wild population of fewer than 350 adult individuals. Loro Parque Fundación has supported its conservation for over two decades, investing more than $2 million to date, and was the first zoological center to successfully breed this species in captivity. To date, 465 individuals have been born at the center. These new scientific results have important implications for potential reintroduction projects into the wild: individuals could learn natural behaviors from wild conspecifics and adapt more quickly to their natural environment.
Original publication:
Haldar, E., Subramanya, P., & von Bayern, A.M.P. (2024).