Cockatoos Have Found Out a Way to Make Drinking a Fun Activity

In Sydney, Australia, sulfur-crested cockatoos, known to have loud calls and bold personalities, are now taking over water fountains in cities. Using both of their feet to drink out of them, they are treating water fountains as an interesting puzzle.

Although there is neither a water shortage nor other variables that would make birds turn away from water sources, the cockatoos often use water fountains. According to the New York Times, “It’s unclear why the cockatoos go to the effort of using drinking fountains when there are plenty of accessible water sources nearby.” Many assume that it is more fun to drink out of a fountain compared to drinking out of a creek while others assume that this is a sign that the cockatoos are adapting to city infrastructures.

Not only are cockatoos drinking out of human-installed fountains, but they are also flipping over trash cans in parts of Sydney. Experts, such as Kevin McGraw, a behavioral ecologist, believe that this is just an example of how birds are thriving in city settings. Cockatoos usually do this in cities to get easier access to food, rather than relying on solely natural food sources. For example, according to the New York Times, “he (Kevin McGraw) said that (birds flipping trash can and drinking out of fountains) could be explained by their ability to adapt to their urban and suburban environments.”

Barbara C. Klump, a behavioral ecologist and an author of a study about a bird’s tool–using behavior, first began to notice birds drinking out of fountains during her research for another project back in 2018. When she asked local wildlife officials, they informed her that the cockatoos have been actually drinking out of fountains for years. Dr. Klump was very curious and eager to find out how the birds could drink out of a fountain, so she and her colleagues tagged 24 birds and installed cameras in front of fountains to check how often the birds would come to drink at the fountains.

From their research, they realized that the birds attempted more than 500 times throughout the span of 44 days of footage. Less than half of the tagged birds succeeded at using the fountains, yet they all visited at specific times.

Whether cockatoos are drinking out of fountains or flipping through trash cans, they continue to surprise and leave scientists full of curiosity. “I’d love to learn more about what else they have up their sleeves!” said Dr. Klump.