The ability to move to a beat has long been believed to be uniquely human — even if one is born with two left feet. However, after studying a cockatoo who boogies down to Backstreet Boys and viewing more than 1,000 YouTube videos, scientists are convinced that other species can also dance.

The scientists found that 14 species of parrot and one species of elephant can move in time to music. Chimpanzees, dogs and cats appeared to have no sense of rhythm. The results suggest that one’s ability to dance is linked with the ability to mimic sounds. The findings are published in the journal Current Biology.

Study subject, Snowball, the sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita eleonora), would definitely win a dance-off. To test whether the cockatoo was really keeping a beat, the scientists would change the music’s tempo — represented in these videos as "BPM" (beats per minute). Not one to miss a beat, Snowball quickly picked up the new rhythms, stomping and head-bobbing in synch with the tempo. Click the play button below to watch Snowball dance to the Backstreet Boys’s "Everybody" below:

Click here to read the full study of Snowball, the dancing cockatoo, in the journal Current Biology.