Not long ago, it was reported that sneaky and resourceful wild sulphur-crested cockatoos in Sydney, Australia, figured out how to raise the lids on garbage pails placed outside awaiting pickup. To become more effective, they learned from each other and even teamed up to assist one another for a successful “raid.” They became so clever that they were able to devise alternate and easier methods to gain access to the trash treasures inside the bin. For this behavior, they were referred to as “Trash Parrots.”

Fast forward a few years, and these crafty parrots are at it again with a new trick. Their skills in adaptive behaviors have served them well in cities where adaptation is a required element.

Urban Cockatoos Master a New Trick

In a recent publication of a journal paper, several researchers have studied the newest innovation that these cockatoos have perfected: drinking from water fountains — and not from those spray-type decorative fountains, but from the drinking fountains commonly found in parks and other outside locations. Yes, that means twisting the fountain handle to get the stream going.

For over two years, researchers watched these birds improve on this skill after they discovered the innovation of these city-dwelling cockatoos. For this operation, the cockatoos must initiate a seemingly difficult series of movements. The fountains typically consist of a spout with a twist mechanism to push the water out of the spout. You probably know what this type of drinking fountain looks like and appreciate how difficult it might be for a bird to properly drink from one. But all it took was one observant and clever cockatoo to recognize the procedure and to try their hand at doing the same to gain the splash of water as a reward.

What the cockatoos eventually learned and passed on to one another were precision placements of feet and beaks to create a water flow. With the concentrated usage of both parts of the bird’s body, they could typically grasp the twist handle (valve) with both feet, then lower their body to twist the handle clockwise in a coordinated fashion. As the water began to gush forth, the bird would turn their head and drink the water. Success!

This clever behavior was first observed in 2018 and quickly caught the attention of researchers. To study it further, they set up motion-triggered cameras at several drinking fountains to capture the birds in action. Today, about 50% of the cockatoos who attempt the trick can do it successfully, though many still struggle with the complex movements required.

During the study, 10 drinking fountains were surveilled. One fountain had 525 attempts over 44 days, with about 46% of the birds able to properly pull off the feat. City-dwelling parrots appeared especially clever than their country-dwelling brethren because of innovative necessities.

Now, here’s an adorable insight for you readers: they will even queue up and take turns to drink while one holds the handle for the drinkers.

You can read the study here.