Puffins use 'tools' to scratch, groom themselves and dislodge ticks

Puffins use wooden sticks as tools to scratch, groom themselves and possibly dislodge ticks -- suggesting that the seabirds may be smarter than was thought. Tool use is rare behaviour for animals -- an activity largely confined to primates and perching birds when engaging in complex, often feeding-related, tasks. However, zoologists led from the University of Oxford have reported two sightings of puffin tool-use, one from Iceland and the other from Pembrokeshire, Wales. Puffins use wooden sticks as tools to scratch, groom themselves and possibly dislodge ticks -- suggesting that the seabirds may be smarter than was thought. Tool use is rare behaviour for animals.