There’s clever, and then there’s “I just learned to use a drinking fountain” clever. Sulphur-crested cockatoos in Sydney have evidently joined the latter category, transforming the city’s public water bubblers into personal hydration stations and—let’s be honest—unintentional stages for their ongoing cultural innovation experiments.
Urban Tool Use, Cockatoo Style
As chronicled in The Guardian’s recent report, researchers staking out a western Sydney sports field originally set up their cameras to observe cockatoo foraging habits but wound up capturing something much more elaborate. Footage reviewed by the team shows cockatoos approaching twist-handle drinking fountains, gripping the hardware with a coordinated effort using both feet and bill, then leveraging their body weight just right to get the water flowing. It’s hardly a case of accidental luck; over 44 days, more than 500 attempts were recorded, with about 70% of the local flock giving it a shot and a 46% overall success rate.
Dr. John Martin, a senior ecologist at Ecosure and co-author of the study, explained that while natural water—namely a creek—was available a short distance away, these cockatoos seemed drawn to the fountains for reasons beyond simple thirst. He noted observing the flock congregate, taking turns at the handle and sometimes appearing to relax and socialize, almost as if the activity had become a casual group pastime.
Social Learning and City Bird Culture
The phenomenon appears to be another case of what researchers describe as “social learning.” According to the reporting, the birds learned to operate the fountains by first watching people, after which knowledge spread quickly through the flock as they imitated one another. This isn’t their first foray into urban problem-solving, either. In a detail highlighted by The Guardian, the famous “bin-opening innovation” previously swept across Sydney’s cockatoo populations, with different flocks even developing their own regional techniques for lifting rubbish bin lids—a kind of urban dialect, but for feeding strategies.
Dr. Holly Parsons, who manages BirdLife Australia’s urban bird program, pointed out that these big, interactive parrots are regular city fixtures, consistently ranking among Australia’s most commonly spotted urban birds. She described the cockatoos’ successes as a testament to their smarts, adaptability, and sociability. According to Parsons, stories even circulate of pet cockatoos released into the wild who introduce their own acquired oddities—like speech—into the local “cockatoo culture.”
More Than Just a Pretty (and Loud) Face
What sets these stories apart isn’t only the novelty—though the image of a cockatoo working a public drinking fountain is hard to beat—but the ongoing reminder of just how rapidly some species adapt to urban life. The article mentions that similar behavior has appeared among other cockatoo relatives, citing Austrian research documenting Goffin’s cockatoos dunking biscuits or adding yoghurt for flavor. Evidently, creativity and opportunism are recurring family themes.
This isn’t simple survival; it’s active engagement with the human-made world. The Guardian’s account highlights how these birds seem to enjoy the process itself, not just the outcome. Are we truly sure we’re the only ones treating the city as a playground?
A City of Surprises, for Us and Them
It’s hard not to feel a little humility—and a healthy dose of amusement—watching this unfold. The cockatoos’ knack for picking up human tricks, spreading those innovations within their flocks, and customizing city technology to serve their own needs hints at something bordering on cultural development, just feathered and far louder than most city residents. Are these early signs of full-blown bird “tool cultures,” popping up and diverging across different suburbs? Or will this simply become another entry in the ever-growing file titled “Don’t Underestimate the Birds”?
Either way, anyone visiting a Sydney park may want to regard public amenities with fresh eyes. If the cockatoos haven’t figured out screw-top water bottles yet, it likely isn’t for lack of trying.
