Cockatoos have learned to operate drinking fountains in Australia(science.org)
science.org
Cockatoos have learned to operate drinking fountains in Australia
https://www.science.org/content/article/cockatoos-have-learned-operate-drinking-fountains-australia
159 comments
Cockies are the pranksters of the bird world. They're smart and they think it's hilarious to mess with each other and anyone else. They also tear everything to pieces. So it's no surprise really that if any bird worked out how to operate a drinking fountain it'd be these hilarious little jerks.
I was visiting a place that takes in rescue animals, in this case they had a lot of birds.
In their typical speech to people about NOT keeping birds as pets they described some of the birds as "highly curious, the maturity of a human 5 year old, with an intense desire to be destructive".
In their typical speech to people about NOT keeping birds as pets they described some of the birds as "highly curious, the maturity of a human 5 year old, with an intense desire to be destructive".
My wife always joke about how parrots sound like a fun pet until you consider the phrase "Flying eternal toddlers, that cannot be diapered or potty-trained, with can-opener mouths."
On top of that, they have one tool, and it's a pair of boltcutters you can't take away. And the most clever of them have a good chance to outlive their owners.
30 to 80 years in captivity! Factors: species and level of care.
20 to 40 in the wild.
Good sense of humour though.
20 to 40 in the wild.
Good sense of humour though.
There's one at a wildlife sanctuary in Tasmania reported to be 110 or so ("Fred", Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary). Original owner is long dead, obviously.
And the means to achieve that destruction. Cockatoos are like flying bolt cutters.
I aspire to one day befriend a local murder of crows. Not to keep as pets or to make dependent on me, but maybe to bribe to clean up trash or steal quarters for me... or to defend my honor should the need arise.
> hilarious little jerks.
We had a galah chewing our hosepipe the other day. I pointed and said "oi!" and the little scamp stopped, straightened up, looked me right in the eye and ... did it again.
Oh and not to forget the kookas. I heard a pop and noise like water a few weeks ago, and ran into our living room. Outside the main window there's that hose reel mounted on the wall that was spraying freely against the glass. A kookaburra had somehow pulled the hozelock end off and was taking a shower.
We had a galah chewing our hosepipe the other day. I pointed and said "oi!" and the little scamp stopped, straightened up, looked me right in the eye and ... did it again.
Oh and not to forget the kookas. I heard a pop and noise like water a few weeks ago, and ran into our living room. Outside the main window there's that hose reel mounted on the wall that was spraying freely against the glass. A kookaburra had somehow pulled the hozelock end off and was taking a shower.
The kookaburras here have a reputation for taking snags right off a burning BBQ without apparently hurting themselves.
I will never forget watching a kookaburra swoop down as my grandmother went to take a bite out of a bacon sandwich, and stealing a piece of bacon out of it without touching her or the bread. It then sat on a branch whacking the bacon against it to "kill it" before eating it.
Same with me, but I was camping as a kid. One took the snag out of my mates bread just as he was about to bite it. It made sure it was dead by hitting it on the tree it landed in.
It seems a standard childhood memory! I had a chicken and salad sandwich downgraded to a salad sandwich while I held it my hands as a child. Couple of decades later, almost identical thing happened to my own kid.
I’m only just across the ditch and needed to search this.
Snag = sausage.
Snag = sausage.
They stole my bacon the same way, serves me right for not sharing I guess
If they are the pranksters, I wonder what that makes the Kea. I think they are counted as smarter, they definitely enjoy a bit of malicious fun.
The most accurate representation of "Chaotic Neutral" - the cheeky bastards love stealing ANYTHING, and when there's nothing to steal they'll start ripping the rubber off your car door seals (or windshield wipers).
They are amazing birds, very deserving of the name "Clown of the Mountains".
They are amazing birds, very deserving of the name "Clown of the Mountains".
I'll never understand why we New Zealanders chose a flightless defenseless bird as our national bird when we have so many other great candidates.
I am now obliged to mention bird of the year pūteketeke!
Thank you, John Oliver.
Kiwis are very unique and distinctive looking, so it makes sense to an outsider like me. Keas are cool but they kind of just look like parrots.
Not so defenseless
I liked the Kea messing with traffic cones and redirecting traffic, apparently slowing cars and getting fed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ4Y7svFgnQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ4Y7svFgnQ
Weka can be a lot of fun too, I saw a pack of them opening someone's backpack zipper to find out what's inside.
I saw a seagull sneak up to and scream at a guy to make him drop his fish and chips and all his seagull buddies swooped in and took it.
Seagulls, magpie and ibis (im not being fun or joking here) have evolved to exhibit cooperative traits and behaviours to get food, including tricking, diverting, cooperating and most annoying literally staunching people.
I was having a burrito on manly wharf a long while back, a seagull just lands on the table and death stares me...i felt uncomfortable and moved, because i know they will try and take my food off me!
I was having a burrito on manly wharf a long while back, a seagull just lands on the table and death stares me...i felt uncomfortable and moved, because i know they will try and take my food off me!
I haven't ever seen Brisbane's beloved bin chickens (ibis) cooperating, but they're pretty good at getting into any bin to scavenge food.
Cockatoos are worse and will flip the lid of a wheelie bin if in the mood. Crows will as well if you overfill and the lid is not shut properly.
Cockatoos are worse and will flip the lid of a wheelie bin if in the mood. Crows will as well if you overfill and the lid is not shut properly.
I saw an ibis and magpie work on opening a macdonalds bin, take out the black rubbish bag, tear it, splay its contents and fish for paper macdonalds bags!
I looked up the bird..
They are smart!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W7hEUGtv4U
They are smart!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W7hEUGtv4U
Local legend has it Kea work it groups. Team work
One group will entertain the tourists (in mountain huts in the back country) by putting on ammusing displays of acrobatics and hijinks
The other team use razor sharp claws and beaks to open thir packs and get to all the interesting stuff inside
One group will entertain the tourists (in mountain huts in the back country) by putting on ammusing displays of acrobatics and hijinks
The other team use razor sharp claws and beaks to open thir packs and get to all the interesting stuff inside
Keas are gremlins but real.
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When I lived in Australia we had a wooden full length porch (elevated), and where we lived in the hills outside Melbourne we could easily have 20-30 cockatoos hang out on it in the morning. They were mercifully not loud, but they absolutely destroyed the deck rails, and we had to replace them with heavier duty industrial plastic deck.
Caiques and Blue Hyacinths are definitely more pranksters, Cockatoos are just plain psychos.
Or gangsters. We had a bird feeder, which we occasionally let run dry. A cockatoo got pissed with this, and concocted a scheme. When the feeder was empty he sat on the outside fridge and screeched. Once he got your attention, he made sure he was in full view and started destroying things . He only stopped when you put out more feed.
Amused by this I mentioned it at a neighborhood BBQ, and was greeted by a chorus of "oh yes, that happens at my place too". The guy holding the BBQ held up his BBQ tools and said: "See, brand new, this is the 3rd set". It was a neighborhood wide protection racket run by one bird.
Amused by this I mentioned it at a neighborhood BBQ, and was greeted by a chorus of "oh yes, that happens at my place too". The guy holding the BBQ held up his BBQ tools and said: "See, brand new, this is the 3rd set". It was a neighborhood wide protection racket run by one bird.
Amazing. Cockatoos really are gangsters.
Indeed. My father spent a lot of time bellowing at cockatoos that’d land in his fruit trees and tear them to pieces. He’d storm about and wave a broom at them until they took off. Classic old man yelling at clouds.
When he was on the other side of the house in the garage, they’d take fruit from the trees and drop them on the sloping driveway so they rolled down into the garage. Come play old fella.
When he was on the other side of the house in the garage, they’d take fruit from the trees and drop them on the sloping driveway so they rolled down into the garage. Come play old fella.
a friend had two sulfer crested cockatoos and told me a story once.
He had two, a male and a female.
The male played industriously and was adept at doing all kinds of things, like untying zipties. (my friend added zipties to the cage as a toy). The female never touched any of them.
One day, my friend and his buddy were sitting there, and they mentioned this out loud. "She can't untie these things, I think she is just stupid compared to (the male)"
At which point, the female went over, untied the ziptie, spat it out and walked away. My friend and his buddy sat there open-mouthed.
He had two, a male and a female.
The male played industriously and was adept at doing all kinds of things, like untying zipties. (my friend added zipties to the cage as a toy). The female never touched any of them.
One day, my friend and his buddy were sitting there, and they mentioned this out loud. "She can't untie these things, I think she is just stupid compared to (the male)"
At which point, the female went over, untied the ziptie, spat it out and walked away. My friend and his buddy sat there open-mouthed.
I have fond childhood memories of having various pet gallah's/cockies. (yes in australia), I love the birds, they're fantastic pets.
but thats why I wont ever cage one up.. they clearly intelligent creatures that evolution has designed to be free flying animals. caging them up is beyond cruel.
but thats why I wont ever cage one up.. they clearly intelligent creatures that evolution has designed to be free flying animals. caging them up is beyond cruel.
Archaea: https://m.xkcd.com/3095/
Fun fact: all cockies are left-handed. I used to live in Canberra, where they're plentiful. I heard this 'fact' and was doubtful. Well, I've since seen hundreds of these birds eating acorns and, can confirm, every one a leftie.
This is the first time I've heard something like this I had no idea animals could be left handed too!
We used to have two budgies at home, but I never paid attention to which foot they preferred.
Now I'm honestly tempted to go watch a bunch of parrot videos just to see if this leftie thing shows up elsewhere too.
Fiddler crabs have one large claw and one small one. Usually which is bigger (right or left) is distributed 50/50. But there is one species - an Australian one - where only 1.4% are left-clawed.
A crab finding itself left-clawed means they fight differently and are generally less successful in fights, thus they live a more asocial life by choice and necessity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelasimus_vomeris
A crab finding itself left-clawed means they fight differently and are generally less successful in fights, thus they live a more asocial life by choice and necessity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelasimus_vomeris
now I want a childrens movie about a left-handed crab who fights for all left-handed crabs to be let back into society.
Starting to sound like a storyline from the Dungeon Crawler Carl novels.
Lets not lead this back to another round of crab man jerks off to save the world.
Why wouldn't it be like human martial arts, where a left-handed fencer or boxer has the advantage of novelty over a right-handed opponent? Even in something like table tennis this has an effect. Baseball too, but for slightly different reasons.
This is a good point. Righty fighting righty would mean the large claws are facing smaller claws. Righty fighting lefty means small claw facing large claw. But in either case both crabs are in the same situation so I would expect no advantage to either. Maybe there are other parts of crab behavior or anatomy which are hardwired for a large right claw? Another question is why left clawed crabs haven't died out entirely if they're disadvantaged?
Maybe the fights are more lethal for both crabs with a righty vs lefty fight, so it's no longer a zero sum game of winner gets the territory, loser gets nothing.
Crabs may not always face each other to fight, since they walk sideways, so there are still opportunities for large claw facing either claw.
Probably that is limited by how many fights you get into, and how much you manage to learn from them.
Perhaps it's an issue with multiple combatants? If fights are not one on one then having one crab be difficult to work with can be a problem
My cat is left-pawed: her first swipe at something is always with her left front paw.
Most cats are left pawed.
Update: see comment below. Studies are not conclusive.
Update: see comment below. Studies are not conclusive.
I've seen a few studies that when taken together aren't super conclusive, but suggest that perhaps around 3/4 of cats have handedness and that there may be some bias to one side or the other based on sex.
See my comment just above yours!
i've seen a study (which i can't find) that boy cats are usually lefty and girls righty. that fits our sample size of four, interestingly, and perhaps randomly, since i can't find the study.
(too late to edit to include reference to the male/female feline handedness)
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-asymmetric-brain...
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-asymmetric-brain...
Most animals are lefties. We are the odd ones.
The why part is the most interesting because seemingly
there no
obvious answer to it though I like the “pure taste” theory.
>So why did the cockatoos gravitate to drinking fountains in the first place, when plenty of other water sources such as puddles and creeks are available? Perhaps they have developed a taste for the purer fountain water, Klump says. Or the elevated fountain perch helps them spot approaching predators such as eagles and falcons.
>So why did the cockatoos gravitate to drinking fountains in the first place, when plenty of other water sources such as puddles and creeks are available? Perhaps they have developed a taste for the purer fountain water, Klump says. Or the elevated fountain perch helps them spot approaching predators such as eagles and falcons.
It’s kinda comical. Like gee I wonder why they want to drink cool delicious clean water from a tap, not dank stagnant water from puddles. What a mystery for the ages!
Of course I understand that in the context of scientific research you can’t just assume, it’s just a bit absurd from the outside.
Of course I understand that in the context of scientific research you can’t just assume, it’s just a bit absurd from the outside.
I don't know.. it seems like every dog I know would rather drink out of a muddy puddle than their clean water bowl.
My dog is obsessed with drinking water from the toilet and will use guests visiting as an opportunity to get into the bathroom.
My dog
Would rather drink the water used to clean chicken shit off the deck than anything else
Would die of thirst rather than drink slightly dusty, dog saliva contaminated water from their bowl. That Must Be Clean! Now, human!!
Would rather drink the water used to clean chicken shit off the deck than anything else
Would die of thirst rather than drink slightly dusty, dog saliva contaminated water from their bowl. That Must Be Clean! Now, human!!
> Like gee I wonder why they want to drink cool delicious clean water from a tap, not dank stagnant water from puddles. What a mystery for the ages!
Tell that to my cats. If they got the chance they will always prefer to drink from puddles of muddy rainwater instead of the clean water we give them.
Tell that to my cats. If they got the chance they will always prefer to drink from puddles of muddy rainwater instead of the clean water we give them.
Depending where you live, "clean" tap water is disgustingly chlorinated. I wouldn't blame any pet for not wanting to drink that.
> Like gee I wonder why they want to drink cool delicious clean water from a tap, not dank stagnant water from puddles. What a mystery for the ages!
I mean, it could also not be about taste at all, I'm sure not all animals taste things the same, not even all humans have the same taste it seems, I can't stand fish and I love licorice, many are the opposite :)
Besides, many animals seem to enjoy just "different" things. When I'm out and about with my dogs, they love trying to drink water from puddles, even if I have a portable bowl with fresh water right next to it. Maybe it's more "interesting" or "flavorful"? Who knows...
I mean, it could also not be about taste at all, I'm sure not all animals taste things the same, not even all humans have the same taste it seems, I can't stand fish and I love licorice, many are the opposite :)
Besides, many animals seem to enjoy just "different" things. When I'm out and about with my dogs, they love trying to drink water from puddles, even if I have a portable bowl with fresh water right next to it. Maybe it's more "interesting" or "flavorful"? Who knows...
It also seems like it would be more fun and mentally stimulating to operate a water fountain which is a reason to do it that I wouldn't put past a cockatoo given how smart they are.
Gonads have driven creatures to show they are more capable than others, whether knowledge or capability, for eternity. So much of our drive, just a drive to "do better" is driven by such.
Anyone who's spent long enough observing animals knows the reason... Animals are fucking lazy, why travel to find water when you can hang out, drink from an automatic machine and harass locals into feeding you and/or steal from them?
Cats are known to prefer running water - probably as it's more likely to be fresher and not stagnant. Maybe a similar thing applies here.
> So why did the cockatoos gravitate to drinking fountains in the first place
Some species of birds, like cockatoos, like puzzles. They like to figure things out.
Some species of birds, like cockatoos, like puzzles. They like to figure things out.
skateboards are also terrible transportation devices, especially down stairs and handrails... :)
As a bird owner, they get bored. They like to play like dogs, but in 3d. They also have musical rhythm.
As a bird owner, they get bored. They like to play like dogs, but in 3d. They also have musical rhythm.
Checkout Kea parrots too
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kea#Cognitive_abilities
https://youtu.be/Yj718A7_s4A?si=yaiv4sZiY4xmzK0C. -- Kea doing probabilities and inferring from (biased) experiments
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kea#Cognitive_abilities
https://youtu.be/Yj718A7_s4A?si=yaiv4sZiY4xmzK0C. -- Kea doing probabilities and inferring from (biased) experiments
Original study that's discussed in the Science News link: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2025.001...
Watching cockatoos figure out stuff like this really makes me wonder have we been seriously underestimating bird intelligence all this time?
We tend to associate tool use with primates, but parrots, corvids, and kea keep proving us wrong in the smartest ways.
Honestly, maybe “avian cognition” deserves its own category of advanced problem solving.
There’s probably a lot we could learn from their behavior not just about animals, but about ourselves and the systems we build.
Avian cognition is so darn interesting. We associate the mammalian neocortex with "higher intelligence" (which is hand-wavy), but that structure arose after any common ancestor with birds.
The avian pallium is thought to be the analogue structure in birds, evolved separately.
Which is cool! Birds have separately evolved intelligence!
The avian pallium is thought to be the analogue structure in birds, evolved separately.
Which is cool! Birds have separately evolved intelligence!
Even cooler, IMHO, is that invertebrates evolved intelligence (and almost identical eyes!) parallel to primate's and corvids'.
Squid, octopi, etc have cognitive abilities that sometimes overtake that of "intelligent" mammals or birds. Yet common ancestors are about as far away as is possible in animal kingdom.
(And also please remember this when ordering calamari next time ;)
Edit: I very much enjoyed this bestseller popular science book on invertebrates intelligence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_Minds%3A_The_Octopus%2C_...
Squid, octopi, etc have cognitive abilities that sometimes overtake that of "intelligent" mammals or birds. Yet common ancestors are about as far away as is possible in animal kingdom.
(And also please remember this when ordering calamari next time ;)
Edit: I very much enjoyed this bestseller popular science book on invertebrates intelligence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Other_Minds%3A_The_Octopus%2C_...
Since reading about cephalopod intelligence, I cut calamari out of my diet cold. I quip that I have a policy against eating anything smarter than me!
If they're so smart why aren't I on their plate instead? (Though I'm not a fan and don't ever go for calamari personally anyways...)
Wait are any cephalopods vegan?
Wait are any cephalopods vegan?
Slightly joking: but maybe "intelligence" is partly "empathy"? In my view, a truly evolved and highly intelligent species would be one that causes no harm, distress and certainly no pain or suffering to anything else.
So, to answer your question:
> If they're so smart why aren't I on their plate instead?
For the same reason I and grandparent commentor don't eat them: because we know their intelligence. If they were more intelligent that humans, that reasoning would mean they won't eat humans.
Slightly more on topic: humans often show a very narrow world view. In that many humans fail to see that there are other types of "intelligence" for example. We project our own narrow world-view onto others: "Intelligence means, you should eat anything that's less intelligent than you" (very much parafrasing, I know)
So, to answer your question:
> If they're so smart why aren't I on their plate instead?
For the same reason I and grandparent commentor don't eat them: because we know their intelligence. If they were more intelligent that humans, that reasoning would mean they won't eat humans.
Slightly more on topic: humans often show a very narrow world view. In that many humans fail to see that there are other types of "intelligence" for example. We project our own narrow world-view onto others: "Intelligence means, you should eat anything that's less intelligent than you" (very much parafrasing, I know)
I like how its mainly just a pile of old fisherman tales with very little proven recorded attacks. The Cephalopods have been haunting our nightmares for over a thousand years.
I enjoyed the novel “Remakably Bright Creatures” which had an octupus as a main character.
And then we have octopi, with their separately evolved decentralised intelligence !
A mini brain in each arm, orchestrated by the main brain.
A mini brain in each arm, orchestrated by the main brain.
The plural is octopuses. Octopi is not a word.
Fun fact:
All words and grammar rules are made up. Entirely. As in... invented by humans. The laws of physics don't really care.
If lots of people use "octopi" (and they do) and most people understand what it means (which they do) then congrats! It is, in fact, a word. If enough people apply an "i" ending to words then that becomes itself a new grammar rule.
English, just like every other language, also has a ton of unwritten grammar rules as well as spoken word only rules.
In short: octopi is in fact a perfectly cromulent word.
All words and grammar rules are made up. Entirely. As in... invented by humans. The laws of physics don't really care.
If lots of people use "octopi" (and they do) and most people understand what it means (which they do) then congrats! It is, in fact, a word. If enough people apply an "i" ending to words then that becomes itself a new grammar rule.
English, just like every other language, also has a ton of unwritten grammar rules as well as spoken word only rules.
In short: octopi is in fact a perfectly cromulent word.
> In short: octopi is in fact a perfectly cromulent word.
Webster, is that you ? /s
Webster, is that you ? /s
It’s a hill I’m willing to die on ;)
Both octopuses and octopodes are terrible words.
And words are made by us, you cannot tell me what's a word and what isn't.
Both octopuses and octopodes are terrible words.
And words are made by us, you cannot tell me what's a word and what isn't.
Why I took the time to comment: I recently watched an excellent 2-part series entitled "Octopus!" on Prime Video:
https://youtu.be/u1TLQUH43Yw?si=L8Ta4RG1Kp8tkHWU
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the narrator, must have said "octopuses" a hundred times, so it's kind of burned into my brain.
https://youtu.be/u1TLQUH43Yw?si=L8Ta4RG1Kp8tkHWU
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the narrator, must have said "octopuses" a hundred times, so it's kind of burned into my brain.
Octopodes is correct if you want a classical (Greek, as it is) word. Octopi is an assumption of correctness by analogy of people who don't know better, like 'if you have any feedback give it to my colleague and I' - it's not all posh and correct to say 'and I', it's wrong (in that sentence).
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I've recently gone down the rabbit hole of watching pet bird videos on YouTube. The wide range of behaviors is so fascinating. They can be so affectionate, playful, mischievous, and just plain goofy.
The African grey parrots are fascinating in particular, with their ability to connect words to more abstract concepts like counting.
The African grey parrots are fascinating in particular, with their ability to connect words to more abstract concepts like counting.
I can't speak for the average person but I don't think I've encountered many intelligent people who don't also recognize bird intelligence. They have a greater neuron packing density than mammals and there's plenty footage online of corvids using tools.
> have we been seriously underestimating bird intelligence all this time
another question that I keep asking myself is: are we seriously overestimating human intelligence all this time?
another question that I keep asking myself is: are we seriously overestimating human intelligence all this time?
I think there's ample evidence that humans have some incredible things, that most animals haven't
Like inventing the artificial kind of intelligence!
I sometimes wonder whether we invented AI because we felt lonely in a universe where we - apparently by our own judgement - are the only intelligent beings.
/s
I sometimes wonder whether we invented AI because we felt lonely in a universe where we - apparently by our own judgement - are the only intelligent beings.
/s
as the saying goes "there's an overlap between the smartest bear and dumbest tourist"
Ehhh it's definitely nuanced but we certainly haven't been dramatically overlooking anything fundamental.
The prevailing wisdom has been that a fully developed cockatoo has roughly the intelligence of a 3 year old.
A 3 year old figuring out how to use a drinking fountain wouldn't be world-breaking science, and I don't think this is either.
We have proven that they don't understand language and can simply mimic sounds. I don't think it's as deep as you are hoping.
The prevailing wisdom has been that a fully developed cockatoo has roughly the intelligence of a 3 year old.
A 3 year old figuring out how to use a drinking fountain wouldn't be world-breaking science, and I don't think this is either.
We have proven that they don't understand language and can simply mimic sounds. I don't think it's as deep as you are hoping.
Could they have their own language though?
Cockatoo language in nature is this:
Child: wild call
Parent: wild call back
Child: wild call back
Parent: wild call back
Child: wild call back
There are bird species with nuanced dialogue-like calls, but parrots are not him ...
Child: wild call
Parent: wild call back
Child: wild call back
Parent: wild call back
Child: wild call back
There are bird species with nuanced dialogue-like calls, but parrots are not him ...
And, occasionally, demonic summoning chants:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UUjJysUMTw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UUjJysUMTw
While their calls sound like chalk on a blackboard their body language is complex. You can communicate a lot via your actions and expressions!
African Gray parrots have been proven to understand significant amounts of language.
Their brain:body mass ratio is very high, so they've been on our intelligence radar for years, especially corvids.
Reminds me of my first Ibis encounter, in Brisbane. I was at an outdoor dining area in Southbank. There were signs warning people to beware of the ibis, and that the restaurant would not replace your food if it was taken by an ibis.
I sat down at a table, and there was a spray bottle with the condiments, promisingly-labeled "ibis spray". "Great", I thought to myself. "The ibis must hate whatever liquid they put in here". I was expecting maybe soapy water, or a lemon juice solution, or something.
I began eating, and a massive ibis landed next to me, and looked at me, threateningly. I wasn't scared. I held my ground, confidently reaching over to the ibis spray. I knew exactly how to fix this problem.
I aimed the ibis spray at the creature, and pulled the trigger.
What I now believe to be tap water shot out and struck the ibis, who did not even blink as it stared at me menacingly.
"Oh shit", I thought.
I sat down at a table, and there was a spray bottle with the condiments, promisingly-labeled "ibis spray". "Great", I thought to myself. "The ibis must hate whatever liquid they put in here". I was expecting maybe soapy water, or a lemon juice solution, or something.
I began eating, and a massive ibis landed next to me, and looked at me, threateningly. I wasn't scared. I held my ground, confidently reaching over to the ibis spray. I knew exactly how to fix this problem.
I aimed the ibis spray at the creature, and pulled the trigger.
What I now believe to be tap water shot out and struck the ibis, who did not even blink as it stared at me menacingly.
"Oh shit", I thought.
Not at all related (though I am Australian), but I was visiting a primary school one time and there was a large sand pit for the children to play in. Next to the sand pit was a newly installed drinking fountain. However funnily, the entire drinking fountain was completely clogged with sand, I assume from children bringing the sand to the drinking fountain in order to play with the water. Thought it was funny how by simple placement, defeated the utility of that device.
Given the article says this has spread amongst populations I'm suprised there's only one video on the internet of them doing this:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2025/jun/04/su...
This is also an unconventional drinking fountain.
This is also an unconventional drinking fountain.
> This is also an unconventional drinking fountain.
Why do you say that?
At least in Australia, drinking fountains ("bubblers"!) are fairly non standardised. I don't recall seeing many with that rubber top, but the rotating release mechanism is pretty common. I'd say press buttons are more common but both are typical.
Why do you say that?
At least in Australia, drinking fountains ("bubblers"!) are fairly non standardised. I don't recall seeing many with that rubber top, but the rotating release mechanism is pretty common. I'd say press buttons are more common but both are typical.
Birds have primate-like numbers of neurons in their forebrain
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4932926/
Okay, first the bins, now drinking fountains?! I'm genuinely starting to wonder what human contraption these feathered overlords will conquer next, and I get a slight 'planet of the apes... but with cockatoos' vibe.
A remake of Hitchcock's The Birds, but with cockatoos would be epic.
During our extended Melbourne lockdowns in 2020-1, the amount of cockys hanging around due to the relative lack of cars and people truly was epic. Out walking within my prescribed 5km radius the thought that I was in a Hitchcock movie did pass through my mind more than once.
Highly recommend this youtube channel for anyone interested in the problem solving capabilities of these birds.
https://youtu.be/A5YyTHyaNpo?si=cLj4e4heV7kiXq5v
https://youtu.be/A5YyTHyaNpo?si=cLj4e4heV7kiXq5v
Reminds me of: https://www.birdspot.co.uk/bird-behaviour/blue-tits-and-milk... (SFW)
You can also see lots of videos online of cockatoos playing the shell game, e.g. https://youtube.com/shorts/Pu6O_iOZIO4?si=WEko4pfOekdGIbgF
What I love about these is that you can see that the cockatoo clearly knows that it’s playing a game. It doesn’t tip over the cup to get the reward (or just tip over all the cups, which is the easiest solution if you don’t care about the game). It just indicates which cup is the right one.
What I love about these is that you can see that the cockatoo clearly knows that it’s playing a game. It doesn’t tip over the cup to get the reward (or just tip over all the cups, which is the easiest solution if you don’t care about the game). It just indicates which cup is the right one.
That's great, always amazing to see nature being able to manipulate its environment.
I do hope they don't shit all over the nozzle though.
I do hope they don't shit all over the nozzle though.
They love to drop things on you from the trees. They laugh and laugh, the cacophony of screeches can be deafening. They mess with traffic all day long too, swooping cars from the traffic lights.
My family has a rescue Galah, very similar to Sulfur Crested Cockatoos and he is very smart. He knows the right words to use and when, he thinks the cat is called "ps ps ps" so he calls for the cat with ps ps ps, when it passes by. Knows how to say hello/goodnight etc and when. He also knows he can trick some people by looking away when you give him food, so you get closer, then he bites.
His wing was broken as a baby after getting stuck in a thorny bush, that's how we came to have him in case anyone is curious. He can't fly.
My family has a rescue Galah, very similar to Sulfur Crested Cockatoos and he is very smart. He knows the right words to use and when, he thinks the cat is called "ps ps ps" so he calls for the cat with ps ps ps, when it passes by. Knows how to say hello/goodnight etc and when. He also knows he can trick some people by looking away when you give him food, so you get closer, then he bites.
His wing was broken as a baby after getting stuck in a thorny bush, that's how we came to have him in case anyone is curious. He can't fly.
No doubt, when rats can do all this, you have to wonder what else everything else can do! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV9z0c1hjnA
Nature is amazing! (especially rattos! :))
Nature is amazing! (especially rattos! :))
It's wild how recently Humans have started to understand how smart and aware animals are.
It's also wild how the majority of humans still don't want to accept that we are in fact animals.. which I presume is why it comes as some shock when a lower intelligent species exhibits signs of ourselves.
Cockatoos learn fast...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-11-12/white-cockatoos...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-11-12/white-cockatoos...
These cockatoos are truly the rockstars of the bird world.
Not only can they learn to operate drinking fountains, but they also queue up to drink.
Have they in some way, already mastered the use of tools and problem-solving abilities, just like humans do?
Compared to many birds, cockatoos are very social. We have a flock of perhaps 40 or 50 nearby. They often break out in to smaller groups or as individuals but are found together frequently. In this respect they are more like humans.
I tried to explain cockatoos to a Dutch friend once. I hadn't even gotten to the best parts and she was already convinced I was making everything up.
If you give such a bird access to a 3d printer and a bird-ui-3d design software, what would he print?
There's a YouTuber who 3D prints puzzles for the neighborhood cockatoos to solve and enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5YyTHyaNpo
"If a lion could talk, we could not understand him." — Ludwig Wittgenstein
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Cuckatoos also know how to open wheelie bins to raid rubbish. Now they can have all the water and food they need. Mischevious scoundrels.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-07-23/cockatoos-ope...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-07-23/cockatoos-ope...
At first I read it as "Cockroaches".
It did not appear they had learned to actually activate the fountain by turning the knob, only to lap up whatever residual water was already there.
IOW they "learned" how to drink water, not to use the fountain.
IOW they "learned" how to drink water, not to use the fountain.
This is the crappier footage, this was on a couple of weeks ago. 100% it's activating the bubbler to drink.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AustralianBirds/comments/1kjve1q/su...
https://www.reddit.com/r/AustralianBirds/comments/1kjve1q/su...
"bubbler" OMG the only place in the U.S. that calls a drinking fountain a bubbler is Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where I grew up.
>By the early 1960s, news reports highlighted the fact that calling a bubbler a bubbler was the sure sign of being a Milwaukeean.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2020/02/25/w...
>By the early 1960s, news reports highlighted the fact that calling a bubbler a bubbler was the sure sign of being a Milwaukeean.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2020/02/25/w...
I went to MSOE after growing up in Southern California. Bubbler was a key way to identify those from Milwaukee and immediate surroundings. It's such a precise locator; even more so than calling I-5 the 5, just as accurate, but the 5 gets you to like Santa Barbara and south, where bubbler cuts off just over the Milwaukee county line. A Racine native drinks from a fountain like everyone else; Brookfield natives might use a bubbler.
Bubbler is used in many parts of Wisconsin, not just Milwaukee.
I moved to Milwaukee a couple years ago. I can confirm this is a thing, and it's very weird. I've got a friend from Reedsburg who says it's common there, too.
As soon as I saw that comment in the Reddit post, I clicked on the guy's profile to see if they're from Wisconsin. Wasn't obvious at a glance.
As soon as I saw that comment in the Reddit post, I clicked on the guy's profile to see if they're from Wisconsin. Wasn't obvious at a glance.
Bubbler is used in many parts of Wisconsin, it isn't just Milwaukee by any means. I grew up in Brillion (2.5 hours north of Milwaukee) and everyone there (and the surrounding area) calls it a bubbler.
Eastern Massachusetts calls it a bubbler as well.
From the article:
“Every cockatoo exhibited slight variations in its plan of attack. But the general strategy was the same: Each placed one or both of its feet on the fountain’s twist handle, then lowered its weight to twist the handle clockwise and prevent it from springing back up. As the parrots slurped water from the bubbling spout, their sharp beaks often left behind chew marks on the fountain’s rubber top.”
“Every cockatoo exhibited slight variations in its plan of attack. But the general strategy was the same: Each placed one or both of its feet on the fountain’s twist handle, then lowered its weight to twist the handle clockwise and prevent it from springing back up. As the parrots slurped water from the bubbling spout, their sharp beaks often left behind chew marks on the fountain’s rubber top.”
> Although the cockatoos can manipulate the fountain’s handles, they don’t always quench their thirsts. The team found that only 41% of attempts ended with the birds successfully drinking water. The animals struggled especially when other cockatoos crowded or rushed them.
"learned to operate" is an overstatement. They brute-forced a way to get water sometimes. Lots of animals do that. Mice learn or figure out how to get such water rewards - it's used every day in labs studying the brain
"learned to operate" is an overstatement. They brute-forced a way to get water sometimes. Lots of animals do that. Mice learn or figure out how to get such water rewards - it's used every day in labs studying the brain
Tough crowd. I would say >50% of the time I try to use a water fountain, it’s broken. Does that mean that humans have only brute forces a way to build water fountains sometimes?