We’re not so bird-brained after all folks

Australian sulphurcrested cockatoos have learned to open bins – and the technique is catching on, as other members of the species learn how to do it in the same way humans might learn a dance move.

Researchers documented the technique in three suburbs of Sydney in early 2018, and found that it had spread to 44 areas by late 2019.

Scientists analysing videos of 160 wily birds lifting bin lids as well as the geographic spread of the skill concluded that most birds learned by watching others.

The cockatoos’ knack for social learning may be one of the traits that allow them to thrive in unpredictable or humandominated environments, according to research published in the journal Science.

The research came after Sydney ornithologist Richard Major noticed a sulphur-crested cockatoo opening his bin a number of years ago. While not every resident would be thrilled by this development, Mr Major was impressed by the bird’s ingenuity.

It is quite a feat for a bird to grasp a bin lid with its beak, pry it open, then shuffle far enough along the bin’s edge that the lid falls backwards – revealing edible treasures inside.

Intrigued, Mr Major teamed up with researchers in Germany to study how many cockatoos had learned this trick.

Mr Major, who is based at the Australian Museum, said: “From three suburbs to 44 in two years is a pretty rapid spread.”

The researchers’ next question was whether the cockatoos had each worked out how to do this alone – or whether they copied the strategy from experienced birds.

They discovered that the birds had indeed learned the trick by watching their peers.

“That spread wasn’t just popping up randomly. It started in southern suburbs and radiated outwards,” said Mr Major. In effect, it caught on like a hot dance move.

Scientists have documented other examples of social learning in birds. One classic case involves small birds called blue tits that learned to puncture foil lids of milk bottles in the United Kingdom starting in the 1920s – a crafty move, though less complex and physically demanding than opening bins.

“This is a scientist’s dream,” said Lucy Aplin, a co-author of the study.

UP BEFORE THE BEAK: Cockatoos learn to lift bin lids to gather food by copying others.