Matt Mayes

Birds derive pleasure from flying. Most probably, at some point in your life, you have wondered what it would be like to be able to fly. When observing birds flying without a clear purpose, at least to us, it does seem enjoyable at the very least. To investigate whether birds ‘like’ flying, we assessed the emotional states of galahs [highly social Australian cockatoos]  after having participated in a free flight demonstration and compared these results to days on which the birds were not allowed to fly. We selected this particular species as galahs need to fly tens of kilometres per day to feed on seeds, which is their main food source. By evaluating their behaviour, testing their optimism in a cognitive bias task, and measuring corticosterone levels in their droppings, and comparing these findings on days of non-flight versus days on which they were allowed to fly, we aimed to deduce whether flight leads to a positive emotional state.  [Cognitive bias testing in animals evaluates an individual's emotional state or "mood" by measuring its tendency to interpret ambiguous situations as either optimistic or pessimistic.] We show here, as a first, that when given the choice, galahs actively choose to fly, display increased crest raising, scratching and foraging post-flight suggestive for increased arousal, and make more optimistic choices in a cognitive bias task after consecutive days of free flight for approximately half an hour per day. We were able to demonstrate long term effects from repeated exposure (or non-exposure) to flight, showing that the birds’ choices became more optimistic upon repeated exposure to flight, suggesting that flight is a positive experience for these birds with a seemingly positive influence on their long-term affective state. Conversely, the birds exhibited an overall decline in mood when repeatedly denied the opportunity to fly. We did find a clear relationship between faecal glucocorticoid metabolites and weather condition, Specifically, we found a negative effect of the amount of precipitation on faecal glucocorticoid metabolites. This effect may be due to the birds becoming less active on days with heavy rain. We showed that the birds consistently choose to fly when given the opportunity, indicating that flight is highly preferred by these birds, and that behaviours indicative of (positive) arousal increased after flight. Our results should not only provide evidence for the fundamental discussion about whether animals have emotions or not, but should also lead the way in the search for ways to account for animal emotions in decisions regarding animal welfare.