Cockatoos learned how to use drinking fountains
In Sydney, Australia, cockatoos learned how to use public drinking fountains. These big white birds with yellow crests figured out how to turn on the water with their feet. Scientists are currently studying the birds because of how smart they are to turn on the water fountains.
The scientists first tagged 24 birds in a population of 150 birds. They watched the tagged cockatoos for several weeks and saw that the birds tried to use the fountains more than 500 times in about 44 days. about 70% of the tagged birds tried using the water fountains, and only about less than half of the tries worked. This shows that turning the handle to get water was still very hard for the birds because they needed to know how the fountain worked and how to turn it correctly. The researchers found that, although puddles, ponds, and bird baths are everywhere in the city, some cockatoos prefer the challenge of using water fountains. This suggests that they think opening the fountains is fun.
Research from a few years ago shows that using water fountains isn’t the only human machine the cockatoos learned to use. A few years ago, the cockatoos learned how to open trash cans to get food. It spread quickly because the birds watched each other and learned how to do it. The fountain trick was harder to learn and didn’t spread because the birds that learned the trick were not migratory. In both cases, the birds learned through part trying and part watching to learn the new trick.
Scientists think these birds do good in cities because they will explore, watch and learn from other birds, and try new things. Many researchers would like to study more about the cockatoo and are interested to see what other machines the cockatoo might learn too use
The scientists are continuing their research on why some birds can do it and why some birds can not open water fountains. “I’d love to learn more about what else they have up their sleeves,” said Dr Klump, suggesting that the birds might learn something cooler.
