并非只有人类才懂团队合作。法国研究人员发现，非洲灰鹦鹉懂得如何与同伴合作解决难题，不过它们并非都喜欢与同伴合作。

非洲灰鹦鹉

会等待

研究人员用测试黑猩猩和大象合作能力的装置“迷你版”测试鹦鹉是否懂得合作。装置把两份测试目标爱吃的食物放在一块平板前，用一张网隔开动物和食物，使动物看得到但够不到食物。平板三边安装管子。研究人员把一根绳子穿进管子，“围”起平板。绳子从管子中延伸出来，两端放在网子靠动物一侧。一只动物若想吃到食物，必须与一个同伴合作，各拽住绳子一端，拉动平板，把食物拽到跟前。黑猩猩和大象在这种装置面前都懂得不急于拽绳子，而是等伙伴过来一起拽。

英国广播公司5月18日援引法国巴黎第十大学动物认知学专家达莉拉·博韦的话说，鹦鹉在实验中同样“懂得需要同伴帮助以完成任务，为此会等待”。

做选择

研究人员发现，鹦鹉对单干还是合作，对与哪个伙伴合作有各自选择。在一项测试中，研究人员准备两种装置，一种可以让鹦鹉单独操作获得食物，另一种可以让鹦鹉获得双倍食物，但需要它与同伴合作。博韦说，一只名叫“山戈”的鹦鹉“举止颇独立”，总是选择那个“单干”装置，雌性鹦鹉“佐薇”只有在雄性鹦鹉“莱奥”在场时才会选择“合作”装置。博韦解释，因为“佐薇”与“莱奥”养在一起，感情好。“佐薇”宁肯少吃些也不愿意与“山戈”合作，而‘莱奥’总是喜欢与同伴合作。博韦说，这说明鹦鹉不一定为得到食物而学做某些事，“它们性格不同，会灵活调整策略”。

为生存

野外栖息的鹦鹉在养育后代和面对敌人时表现出合作精神。研究室中的实验证明，鹦鹉会经由合作解决难题。研究人员在《动物认知》（Animal Cognition）杂志上发表报告说，鹦鹉与同伴合作时可以做出不同但互补的动作。个体之间广泛合作是人类社会一大特征。这种复杂的现象同样出现在一些动物身上。研究人员认为，生存压力促使灵长类动物合作，同样可能使一些鸟具备这种复杂的认知能力。

原文出处：

Animal Cognition     DOI： 10.1007/s10071-011-0389-2

Original PaperCooperative problem solving in African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus)

F. Péron, L. Rat-Fischer, M. Lalot, L. Nagle and D. Bovet

One of the main characteristics of human societies is the extensive degree of cooperation among individuals. Cooperation isan elaborate phenomenon, also found in non-human primates during laboratory studies and field observations of animal huntingbehaviour, among other things. Some authors suggest that the pressures assumed to have favoured the emergence of social intelligencein primates are similar to those that may have permitted the emergence of complex cognitive abilities in some bird speciessuch as corvids and psittacids. In the wild, parrots show cooperative behaviours such as bi-parental care and mobbing. Inthis study, we tested cooperative problem solving in African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus). Our birds were tested using several experimental setups to explore the different levels of behavioural organisation betweenparticipants, differing in temporal and spatial complexity. In our experiments, African grey parrots were able to act simultaneouslybut mostly failed during the delay task, maybe because of a lack of inhibitory motor response. Confronted with the possibilityto adapt their behaviour to the presence or absence of a partner, they showed that they were able to coordinate their actions.They also collaborated, acting complementarily in order to solve tasks, but they were not able to place themselves in thepartners role.