托福口语 Task 4

Today we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in animal behavior called 'tool use'—when animals use objects from their environment to achieve a goal. For a long time, scientists believed tool use was unique to humans and a few primates. But we now know many animals, including birds, use tools in clever ways. Let me give you two examples. First, the New Caledonian crow. This bird makes hooks from twigs or leaves to extract insects from tree crevices. It carefully trims a twig into a hook shape and then uses it to fish out prey. This shows planning and problem-solving. Second, the woodpecker finch from the Galápagos Islands. It uses a cactus spine or a small stick to probe into holes in bark and impale insects. The finch even selects a spine of the right length and width for the task. These examples demonstrate that tool use is not just a primate trait but has evolved independently in different bird species, showing sophisticated cognitive abilities in animals we often underestimate.