Birds Get Their Groove On

Birds are no wallflowers. Instead they might be the life of the party, according to two studies that found parrots can tap their feet and bob their heads in time with the music.

Researchers from Harvard University combed through more than 1,000 videos of dancing animals and found that only vocal mimics, including 14 species of parrots, can truly rock to the beat.

This confirmed other findings from scientists at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego who studied a cockatoo that changed up its dance style as music was played faster or slower during a dance session. Both studies support the theory that moving to the music relies on the same brain wiring that is used for complex learning.