Biased parrots better at problem-solving than ambidextrous counterparts.Byline: ANI London, Sept 2 (ANI): Parrots that are strongly right- or left-footed are better at problem-solving tasks than their ambidextrous ambidextrous /am·bi·dex·trous/ (am?bi-dek´strus) able to use either hand with equal dexterity. am·bi·dex·trous adj. Able to use both hands with equal facility. counterparts, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a new study. Lead researchers Maria Magat and Culum Brown at Macquarie University Location University publications and material indicate that its campus is located in the suburb of North Ryde, although the Geographical Names Board of NSW indicates it is located in the suburb of Macquarie Park. The University has its own postcode: 2109. in Sydney, Australia, worked with eight species of Australian parrot, some of which are primarily left-biased - gang-gang cockatoos The Gang-gang Cockatoo, Callocephalon fimbriatum, is found in the cooler and wetter forests and woodlands of Australia, particularly bushland. Mostly mid grey in colour with some lighter scalloping (more pronounced and buffish in females) the male has a red head and crest, , for instance, are 100 per cent left-footed - others right-biased and the rest "ambidextrous". They studied their side preference by noting which eye they preferred for looking at food. During the study, the researchers put the birds to various tasks, including foraging for different seeds sprinkled in a tray of pebbles and raising a hanging seed basket up to their beaks using their claws. They found that the birds that had a strong bias towards using one side or the other were faster at the tasks than species that showed no preference between left or right. All animals have cerebral lateralisation, meaning that their brains are divided into two hemispheres responsible for processing different tasks. Strongly lateralised individuals are strongly "handed" - or strongly "footed" in the case of birds. "Our study shows that strong lateralisation improves problem-solving ability and foraging in birds, which is an evolutionary advantage," New Scientist quoted Brown as saying. "It allows each side of the brain to become specialised at different tasks, so, for instance, the right side of the parrot's brain can process foraging tasks without being slowed by interference from the left side of the brain," the expert added. The study appears in Proceedings of the Royal Society Proceedings of the Royal Society is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society of London. Today, the Royal Society publishes two proceeding series:
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