Smart Birds Deserve a Little Respect
Have you ever seen a bird using a water fountain? In Sydney, Australia, cockatoos have figured out how to do just that. with their beaks and feet, letting water flow out so they can drink. It’s not just fun to watch, it shows how smart animals really are. we should treat them with more respect.
Some people in Sydney complain about cockatoos. They say the birds are noisy, make a mess, and damage things. It’s true, cockatoos can be loud, and they sometimes rip into trash bins or chew on wood. But this behavior doesn’t mean they’re bad, it means they’re trying to survive in a human made world of technology and complicated machinery that are not made for animals. They are curious and playful by nature, and the city gives them new things to explore. “They figured it out themselves, no one taught them,” said Dr. Barbara Klump, a behavioral ecologist at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. “It’s a beautiful example of animal innovation.”Instead of thinking of them as pests, we should try to understand why they act this way. If we built cities on their land, shouldn’t we expect them to try to live in them too?
The fact that cockatoos can figure out how to use fountains is amazing. They aren’t just pushing random buttons, they are watching, learning, and remembering. As researcher Lucy Aplin noted, “They don’t have the amount of strength that we have in our hand or the weight so they have to lean their whole body weight to keep it twisted.” demonstrates the physical coordination and determination these birds possess. Researchers have even found that cockatoos teach each other how to do it. Younger birds copy older ones, and that shows they can pass down knowledge, almost like a culture. That’s something we usually only say about humans and a few animals like dolphins and apes. Watching cockatoos do this reminds us that intelligence comes in many forms.
This also raises a bigger question, how should we live with animals in our cities? We make spaces for cars, shops, and people, but what about nature? If birds need water, wouldn’t we make sure they can get it safely? Maybe that means creating special fountains or bird-friendly areas. helping animals doesn’t have to be hard, it just means we think about their needs as part of the city too.
In the end, cockatoos aren’t just surviving, they’re adapting, thinking, and even teaching each other. That’s something to be impressed by, not annoyed with. These birds are not just wild animals flying around, they are smart, social, and doing their best in a human world. Maybe it’s time we stop seeing them as a problem and start seeing them as part of the city.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jun/04/cockatoos-drink-from-sydney-water-fountains
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jun/04/cockatoos-drink-from-sydney-water-fountains
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/science/cockatoos-water-fountains-sydney-australia.html