Clever Cockatoos Master the Art of Using Public Drinking Fountains

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tt-ylnz34s

In Sydney, Australia, Okkatoo has mastered the use of public water fountains by turning the handle, a feat not easy for birds. It appears they are imitating one another’s actions.

The Occato, or Kakatua Gallerita, engages in an intellectual competition, as some individuals have figured out how to open waste bins in eastern Sydney. In response, humans devise ways to keep these bins locked while continuing to find methods to open them.

Following reports of similar occurrences with Okkatoos using drinking fountains in western Sydney, Lucy Aplin from the Australian National University and her team temporarily marked 24 Occatos, accounting for a fifth of the local population. They documented the interactions at various drinking fountains, known as Bubblers in Australia.

During a 44-day observation, Cockatoos made 525 attempts to use a particularly popular fountain. Out of these, 105 attempts were made by 17 of the 24 marked birds. This indicates that about 70% of the more than 100 local birds attempted to use the fountain, according to researchers.

In their natural habitats, these birds typically drink from ponds or water stored in tree hollows near their roosts. However, Aplin notes they seem to prefer using the fountains instead, especially in the morning and evening, which are their regular drinking times before resting.

Researchers even observed more than 10 birds waiting for their turn at one bubbler, but the more dominant birds would often jump the queue.

Despite only 41% of the observed attempts being successful, the act of drinking from the fountain is certainly not a trivial task for these birds, according to Aplin.

“Birds must navigate their bodies through complicated movements,” she explains. “They often place one foot on the drinking fountain’s base and twist the handle with the other foot while leaning in to leverage their weight.”

She suspects that once an individual learns the technique, others follow suit by mimicking the actions.

“This serves as a clear example of culture—newly socially transmitted behaviors—which might surprise those who view culture as solely a human trait,” says Christina Zdenek from the University of Queensland, Australia. “Their innovative abilities in accessing new food and water sources are remarkable across the Tree of Life.”

Why are the Okkatoos doing this? Aplin posits that the water may taste superior to muddy pond water, or perhaps the bubbler offers a safer alternative from predators. It could also be a trend fueled by their thirst for innovation.