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https://www.livescience.com/animals/birds/australian-trash-parrots-have-now-developed-a-local-drinking-tradition>
'Wild cockatoos in Sydney, Australia have learned to drink from twist-handle
water fountains, turning the knob with their feet and using their body weight
to keep it open. They even queue to have a drink, waiting to take turns on the
fountain, footage shows.
The behavior qualifies as a new local tradition, according to a study published
Wednesday (June 4) in the journal
Biology Letters that analyzed videos of
these cockatoos showing off their fountain-manipulating skills.
City animals are remarkably flexible. Fast-changing urban environments can push
animals to solve new problems. Some urban birds adapt their songs to be audible
over noise pollution, or use human-made structures as substitutes for their
natural nesting habitats. Studies have linked bigger brain size and more
innovativeness to bird species that live in cities, meaning species that
innovate and problem solve tend to adapt better in cities.
Cockatoos are particularly intelligent birds, able to use tools, solve puzzles,
and even play golf. Sulphur-crested cockatoos (
Cacatua galerita) are native
to Australia, and in Sydney they have learned to open trash bins, earning them
the nickname "trash parrots." They even manage to outwit humans trying to deter
them in what scientists describe as an "innovation arms race."
"[Cockatoos] have a playful curiosity," Alice Auersperg, cognitive biologist at
the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna in Austria who was not involved in
the new study, told
Live Science in an email. "They are highly persistent in
their object manipulation, and easily reinforced if a behavior turns out to be
rewarding."'
Via Kenny Chaffin.
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
