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The Guardian
6 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Cockatoos start sipping from Sydney's drinking fountains after mastering series of complex moves
Sulphur-crested cockatoos in Sydney have worked out how to operate drinking fountains, with footage showing the white birds gripping and turning the handle before leaning in for a sip. Researchers set up camera traps and recorded the birds taking turns at a drinking fountain in western Sydney. Scientists observed more than 500 attempts over 44 days and revealed the birds were successful about 46% of the time. 'The behaviour consists of a combination of actions involving both feet, bill and shifting body weight to start the water flow,' the researchers said in their paper. Dr John Martin, a senior ecologist at Ecosure and co-author of the study, said they stumbled on the complex behaviour at a twist-handle-operated bubbler located in a western Sydney sports field while surveying cockatoo foraging habits. 'So they would go and stand on it, and then they would have to grip the handle and actually push it forwards to activate it, and then lean over and have a drink.' Presumably the birds first learned what to do by watching people, Martin said. 'Eventually one of them got it, and then the others were like, 'ah, this is fun'.' The cockatoos learned by watching others and then trying themselves, he said. About 70% of the local population attempted the manoeuvre, according to the research, published in Biology Letters. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Drinking from the public fountain wasn't just out of necessity, he said, given there was a creek nearby, only 500 metres away. There seemed to be an element of fun, he said. 'The flock would come in, and they'd all be foraging and drinking – having a bit of a relax and a bit of a laugh.' The 'drinking fountain innovation' – which has persisted at least two years – is the second documented urban adaptation to spread across Sydney's sulphur-crested cockatoo populations. It followed the 'bin-opening innovation', where cockatoos figured out how to use their beaks and feet to lift rubbish bin lids, a behaviour that soon spread throughout Sydney's southern suburbs. Martin, also a co-author of that study, said birds used socially learned techniques specific to their cultural group. 'Birds in one area opened a bin in a certain way, and birds in another geographic area opened a bin in a different way.' Members of the public are encouraged to submit their own observations of sulphur-crested cockatoo innovation via the Big City Birds website and app. Cockatoos, a family of parrots, are known innovators, with dextrous toes that are capable of gripping. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Austrian research on Goffin's cockatoos, native to Indonesia, has observed birds dunking biscuits in water before eating them, and dipping their food in yoghurt to add flavour. The problem-solving behaviours are examples of rapid, widespread social learning that helps some species better adapt to city environments. Dr Holly Parsons, who manages the urban bird program at BirdLife Australia, said sulphur-crested cockatoos were big, loud and interactive birds and a common sight in Australian cities. 'They're smart, so they're able to exploit the urban environment to get the resources that they need, and that's one of the reasons why they're doing so well living with us.' The species was the fourth most commonly spotted bird nationally in BirdLife Australia's annual Aussie Bird Count. Parsons, who had seen cockatoos flipping bin lids, said she was not surprised they could learn to operate drinking fountains. There were even stories of pet cockatoos ending up in the wild and teaching other birds to speak, she said. 'It's just so fascinating to see how their brains are working and how they are learning from each other.'
The Guardian
24-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Bin chickens galore! Why are there so many ibis in Sydney?
Rain slicks the pavement at Sydney's Prince Alfred Park. Commuters hurry under umbrellas, takeaway bags clutched tight. But one group remains unbothered – heads tilted, shoulders hunched, beaks long. It's lunchtime, and the ibis are here to eat. Some call these birds pests. They rule the streets of Sydney with a slow swagger. Hungry for scraps, they know exactly where to find them. The scavengers use their long black beaks to riffle through rubbish bins near Central station, hissing at schoolkids; they loiter at bus stops and nest high in Hyde Park's palm trees – their version of inner-city high-rise living. Dr John Martin, an ibis expert and senior ecologist at Ecosure, says ibis numbers in Sydney are peaking but its unclear how many are wandering the city. Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Populations boomed in the 1970s, early 2000s and again about 2010 but a lack of national monitoring means there's no official headcount. Once primarily floodplain dwellers, Australian white ibis – AKA Threskiornis moluccus or 'bin chickens' – began moving to coastal cities in search of reliable food, water and shelter. Their shift to urban areas as inland habitats dry up is a climate-driven wildlife migration. Sydney has proved to be fertile ground for the versatile ibis. They flock to parklands in rainy weather, where worms that wriggle to the surface become a tasty snack. Wet days can make it seem as though the birds are multiplying but Martin says the city's ibis population peaks in spring and declines in autumn as chicks die off or birds migrate away from the greater Sydney region. With pesky people indoors, ibis have free range to scavenge human scraps and natural food sources – and maybe even find love. Despite the native birds being protected under Australian law, ibis continue to polarise public opinion. Their increased populations don't pose ecological risks. While older residents remember a time before they became an Australian city staple, younger generations have grown up seeing them in memes and on children's programs including Bluey, where they're affectionately portrayed. Their 'bin chicken' nickname has cemented their cult status. Still, not everyone is a fan. Ibis have been blamed for mess, noise and nuisance behaviour in schools and parks. Complaints to councils are common. 'It really is human-wildlife conflict,' Martin says. Ibis control is authorised by the New South Wales government and councils can apply for permits if intervention is deemed necessary. Sign up to Five Great Reads Each week our editors select five of the most interesting, entertaining and thoughtful reads published by Guardian Australia and our international colleagues. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Saturday morning after newsletter promotion In 2003 the ABC reported that Bankstown council had hired a professional pest exterminator to shoot the birds after striking a deal with the National Parks and Wildlife Service. But lethal control is now rare and strongly discouraged. 'That's certainly not the approach National Parks supports these days,' Martin says. Early in his career Martin volunteered on ibis monitoring projects where nest and egg destruction were routine methods of control. His PhD examined whether such techniques had any real impact. Today management efforts are more creative: redesigned bins that ibis can't access, habitat modifications and public signs asking people not to feed birds. 'Palm trees are a great example,' Martin says. 'I call it the pineapple effect – if you remove the sideways trunks, you remove nesting platforms.' Martin says the rise of urban ibis is a warning sign, as the birds represent many inland species that rely on healthy wetlands. 'Ibis are waving the flag,' he says. Memory of past droughts and water restrictions may have faded in cities but drought, damming, agriculture and water overuse have left wetlands struggling. A spokesperson for the Canterbury-Bankstown council says a unified metropolitan-wide strategy is needed, including public education about bird feeding and better food waste disposal – all while recognising the bird's native status. 'This is a Sydney-wide problem,' the spokesperson says. Despite their ubiquity, ibis remain surprisingly understudied. Martin encourages citizen scientists to log sightings through the Big City Birds platform. For now, the ibis remains a fixture – and reminds us that nature doesn't end at the edge of the suburbs.
