@dw.science: Climate change heats up the cities? Well, Sydney’s cockatoos are helping themselves out. The cheeky birds have been caught on camera doing something pretty wild – and surprisingly clever. They’ve figured out how to press the buttons on public water fountains to get a drink! While some of us still struggle with their mechanism, the birds are casually helping themselves to a refreshing sip. It all started in Sydney’s suburbs, where locals began noticing cockatoos hanging out by the fountains. Successful operation requires a coordinated sequence of actions: involving both feet, bill and shifting body weight to start the water flow. Scientists observed more than 500 attempts over 44 days. In almost one out of two cases the birds were successful! Experts think the clever birds learned the technique by watching people and then trying it themselves. But cockatoos aren’t just mimicking humans. They observe each other – and learn from that. A sign of social learning. Also, the birds wouldn’t drink from the public fountain out of necessity, as there was a creek only 500 metres away. There seemed to be an element of fun for the birds! Cockatoos are known for being intelligent, but this takes it to a new level. Are the birds watching us… and learning? Let us know what you think! Author: Anna Carthaus & Sushmitha Ramakrishnan Source / Study: Klump Barbara C., Walter David, Martin John M. and Aplin Lucy M. Emergence of a novel drinking innovation in an urban population of sulphur-crested cockatoos, Cacatua galerita Biol. Lett. 2025 http://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2025.0010 #SmartBirds #Sydney #AnimalTikTok #BirdsOfTikTok #sciencetok #science #LearnOnTikTok #dwscience #nature

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Friday 06 June 2025 14:59:14 GMT