The Goffin Lab is a research facility in Lower Austria established by Alice Auersperg in 2011, for the purpose of studying the cognitive processes of the Goffin's cockatoo. The animal facility consists two testing compartments and a large group aviary (indoor area: 45m2 ground space, 3-6m high; outdoor area: 180m2 ground space, 3-5m high), enriched with green meadows, branches, bathing puddles, a sandpit, herbage beds, hideaways and a variable selection of parrot toys.

It houses 16 adult and 1 subadult and 2 Juvenile Goffin’s cockatoos, 10 males and 9 females. Birds are flying free in the aviary allowing us to collect data on their social interactions. None of our birds is wing clipped and they therefore partake in all experiments voluntarily: they are called into the experimental chamber by name or asked to step on to the experimenter’s hand. If a bird is not motivated it can fly off at any time. All of the animals are used to daily experimental routines and are highly motivated to partake.