Watch pet cockatoo turned TikTok star dance to owner’s music

A pet cockatoo who likes to dance along every time her owner plays music has shot to fame on TikTok.

David Holt, aged 41, decided to post videos of his beloved feathery friend, Pearl, on the social media site after he discovered her bopping along to the likes of Kate Bush, Vengaboys and even Metallica.

Pearl was an instant hit with TikTok viewers and she now has around 350k followers. They even send recommendations to David for new tracks to try daily.

“She watched me dance once and copied”

David has had Pearl for 14 years and they have a close bond. He first discovered that Pearl has a keen ear for music nine years ago - and he says he won’t stop playing new music for her until Pearl wants him to.

The bird bops her head in time to the music when a song has a rhythm she likes. Some of her favourite tracks include Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’, ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke and even Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’.

David, a project engineer, from Cumming, Georgia, United States, said: "I DJ as a hobby so I would often have music playing - that was where it started. At first simple songs were better but now Pearl understands rhythm, I can throw anything at her.

"Old school trance is her favourite - I’ll be playing it while I have a shower and when I come out, she’s sat on the counter dancing to it. All I can think is she watched me dance once and copied - but now she just vibes on her own."

“She would incorporate spin moves”

The 24-year-old Goffin’s Cockatoo was previously owned by David’s aunt before he adopted Pearl in 2008. She lives with David and his girlfriend, Danyelle Stelly, 32, as well as a three-year-old Indian Ringneck called Pippin - who sadly cannot dance.

Pearl’s dancing began when David would bring her into the bathroom with him while he showered because the steam was good for her feathers. He would play music while he showered and would spot her bobbing along in perfect time to the music.

He said: "Eventually I started interacting with her while she was dancing. She would dance in time with me and would even incorporate spin moves and jumping up and down."

After years of enjoying Pearl’s daily performances, earlier this year David decided to post a video of her on TikTok - and it got a lot of attention.

Since then, she’s amassed thousands of fans from around the world and people have grown eager to see what other songs Pearl can dance to. Requests range from Whitney Houston to Michael Jackson and even Metallica.  Pearl takes each new song in her stride and will often give a five star dance performance as she vibes with the beat - but she doesn’t like everything.

David said: "Whenever the beat changes, she stops and listens for a moment to work out the new rhythm. Sometimes I’ll play her something and she’ll go all out - other times, she decides it’s not for her."

David said he plans to keep sharing new music with Pearl for as long as she continues to enjoy it.

He said: "She really likes it so I don’t see why we can’t keep going."