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As a kid, Jorg Massen would watch birds swoop and swirl overhead and wonder whether they were doing it for enjoyment. Massen is now a behavioral biologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and thanks to a special setup at a nearby bird park, he was finally able to put that question to the test. For several months each year the birds at Avifauna Bird Park are free to leave their aviaries at certain times every day. When the gates open, each bird decides for itself: fly out into the open sky or stay home. They get no penalty or reward either way. Among these birds at the time of Massen’s study were 17 pink-and-gray Galah Cockatoos that, in the wild, fly long distances to find seeds. The Galahs chose to fly for almost every 20-minute period offered, Massen and his colleagues reported in a paper published in Behaviour. On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.